Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will announce the membership of the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Tony Blair: I am pleased to announce that the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe is as follows:
	
		
			 Leader  
		
		
			 Tony Lloyd MP  
			   
			 Full representatives Substitute Members 
			 Hugh Bayley MP Mike Gapes MP 
			 Peter Bottomley MP Right hon. Greg Knight MP 
			 Simon Burns MP Sandra Osborne MP 
			 Right hon. Sir Menzies Campbell CBE  QC MP Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede 
			 Wayne David MP John Randall MP 
			 Right hon. Bruce George MP Paul Rowen MP 
			 Linda Gilroy MP  
			 David Heath CBE MP  
			 Baroness Hilton of Eggardon QPM  
			 Andrew Mackinlay MP  
			 Earl of Northesk  
			 Ann Winterton MP

Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will announce the full composition of the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Assembly of Western European Union.

Tony Blair: I am pleased to announce that the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Assembly of Western European Union is as follows:
	
		
			 Leader  
		
		
			 Tony Lloyd MP  
			   
			 Full representatives Substitute Members 
			 Lord Burlison DL John Austin MP 
			 Christopher Chope QBE MP Nigel Dodds QBE MP 
			 Bill Etherington MP Nigel Evans MP 
			 Paul Flynn MP David Evennett MP 
			 Mike Hancock CBE MP Christopher Eraser MP 
			 Baroness Hooper Dr Ian Gibson MP 
			 Baroness Knight of Collingtree DBE John Greenway MP 
			 Christine McCafferty MP Nick Harvey MP 
			 Humfrey Malins CBE MP Doug Henderson MP 
			 Alan Meale MP Bob Laxton MP 
			 Edward O'Hara MP Right hon. Lord McIntosh of Haringey 
			 Lord Russell-Johnston Dr Denis MacShane MP 
			 Geraldine Smith MP David Marshall MP 
			 Lord Tomlinson Gordon Prentice MP 
			 Dr Rudi Vis MP Right hon. Baroness Taylor of Bolton 
			 Robert Walter MP Angela Watkinson MP 
			 David Wilshire MP Betty Williams MP 
			  Jenny Willott MP

G8 summit (Gleneagles)

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister, how many vehicles the Government used in relation to the G8 summit in Gleneagles, broken down by make and model.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	In relation to the G8 summit, the Government used 246 vehicles. These included 20 cars, 47 people carriers, three articulated lorries, 21, 7.5 tonne trucks, six vans and 149 coaches. The cars used, broken down by make and model, were five Jaguar XJ, nine Volvo S80, one Peugeot 607, one Vauxhall Omega Elite, and four Mercedes E-Class. The people carriers used, broken down by make and model, were 31 Ford Galaxy carriers, two Volvo seven seaters, seven Chrysler Grand Voyagers, two Volkswagen Caravelles, three Mercedes V Class, one Volkswagen Sharan, and one Vauxhall Viano. To provide information on vehicle makes and model of the coaches, trucks and vans used would incur disproportionate cost, but the break down in size of the coaches used was 118, 49-seater coaches, 10, 70-seater coaches, 20, 16-seater coaches, and one 38-seater coach.
	We went to great efforts, beyond those previously undertaken in Government, to make the G8 as environmentally sustainable as possible. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) investigated using a wide range of low emissions technologies and as a result as many vehicles as possible used an advanced low emission form of diesel. Every effort was made to limit journeys and ensure that the maximum number of passengers were transported at one time. In addition, the FCO looked into the possibility of using environmentally friendly vehicles such as the Toyota Prius and the hydrogen-fuelled bus owned by London buses. Unfortunately, due to various logistical constraints this did not prove possible. The hydrogen-fuelled bus has a very limited mileage and can only be refuelled in London. Therefore, to transport it to Scotland for use during the Summit would not have proved sustainable or environmentally friendly. The FCO were offered the use of Toyota Prius cars as part of a sponsorship package. Unfortunately this offer did not prove to be financially viable to the FCO, as the FCO would have been required to supply both drivers or insurance, as well as transporting the vehicles to Scotland, at considerable cost.
	In other areas too, the FCO implemented a range of measures aimed at minimising the environmental impacts of the Summit. These included using local or Fairtrade. produce, drawing up a "Supplier Code of Conduct" for contractors to ensure they shared our commitment to demonstrating the highest standard of environmental and social accountability, and as much as possible pursuing the 3 Rs policy—Reduce, Recycle, Reuse. The FCO encouraged and facilitated recycling at the Gleneagles summit and worked closely with the local council to ensure that the contents were disposed of correctly.
	These efforts continue. Currently, the G8 Climate Change Unit in Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is in the process of calculating the level of carbon emissions attributable to the UK's presidency of the G8 that could not be eliminated. They will offset these by investing in small-scale Clean Development Mechanism projects, with strong sustainable development benefits, located in Africa.

G8 summit (Gleneagles)

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister, how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials on the UK delegation to the G8 summit travelled to and from Gleneagles by (i) car, (ii) train, (iii) aeroplane, (iv) bus and (v) helicopter.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) went to great efforts, beyond those previously undertaken in Government, to make the G8 as environmentally sustainable as possible. However, given the intensity of the workload experienced by the UK delegation in the run and up to and during the summit itself, the FCO needed to balance the issue of sustainability against the organisational requirements of the event. In the majority of cases this meant UK officials travelling to Gleneagles in the shortest time possible.
	153 UK officials travelled to and from Scotland by aeroplane. One UK official travelled to and from Scotland by train. Three Ministers, my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn), and my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Lord Triesman of Tottenham), also travelled to Scotland by aeroplane. They travelled to and from the Gleneagles Hotel by a combination of helicopters and cars. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary travelled to and from the Gleneagles Hotel by helicopter in order to chair the meeting while the Prime Minister returned to London on 7 July 2005.
	The FCO examined other ways to minimise the environmental impacts caused by delegates' travel. 144 UK officials travelled to and from the airports of arrival and departure to the Gleneagles Hotel by high occupancy vehicles including coach or people carrier. Only a small number of these officials accompanied delegations on their helicopter transfers during the summit. Nine UK officials accompanied the
	Prime Minister and travelled to and from the Gleneagles Hotel by helicopter. In addition, the G8 Climate Change Unit in Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are currently in the process of calculating the level of carbon emissions attributable to the summit. These will be offset by investing in small-scale Clean Development Mechanism projects, with strong sustainable development benefits, located in Africa.

Belize

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the Government is giving to the Government in Belize (a) to tackle corruption and (b) to combat the trafficking of drugs; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government's principal support to the Government of Belize (GoB) has been relief on its aid debts under the Commonwealth Debt Initiative. This relief is provided to GoB on basis of its progress in controlling corruption and improving governance, economic management and poverty reduction. It also serves as a tool to encourage greater civil society participation in the GoB's policy. The UK Government is also providing a Strategic Fund for the GoB (£200,000 per year) to help improve its ability to undertake governance reforms, develop medium term economic plans and identify ways to reduce poverty. The Small Grants Scheme, and other programme funds for Belize, provides a further £35,000 a year that can be used for projects with civil society.
	Although Belize is not specifically a major transit country for drugs destined for the UK, we do continue to help combat drug trafficking on a regional basis within Central America and the Caribbean. As part of CARICOM (the Caribbean Community), Belize benefits from the recently agreed UK/CARICOM co-operation plan that encompasses work on border security, intelligence and information sharing, maritime co-operation and a human resource development strategy. This partnership assists Caribbean states to combat drug trafficking. The UK also funds the training of Belizean officials on regional and UK drug specific training courses.

Financial Sector Aid

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to increase the number of countries receiving aid aimed at financial sector and micro-finance development; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 19 July 2005
	DFID is funding financial sector development programmes, including microfinance, in 25 countries. Four new financial sector programmes are currently being designed in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. DFID also funds international agencies that actively support microfinance and financial sector development, such as the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation and the Asian Development Bank.
	DFID supports the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), which is increasing its regional presence in support of good practice microfinance. In the Middle East and North Africa, the CGAP is expanding its training programmes in microfinance and sharing its expertise to develop good practice in the region.
	The European Union (EU) is launching a new initiative to develop its support to microfinance in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP). DFID will contribute 12.7 per cent. of the €15 million European Development Fund. 71 countries, most of them low income countries, should be able to benefit.
	DFID is a principal supporter of the multi-donor global Financial Sector Reform and Strengthening (FIRST) Initiative, which provides technical assistance in all areas of financial sector development. FIRST is developing a strategy to increase its coverage of low income countries.
	DFID is contributing £3 million to a new International Financial Corporation (IFC) facility. This facility (Private Enterprise Partnership for the Middle East and North Africa) supports financial institutions engaged in micro-enterprises and in small and medium-sized enterprise development. The Partnership has staff on the ground in the region, notably in Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, the West Bank and Gaza and Yemen. It has approved seven major technical assistance programmes that will benefit 13 countries in the region.
	DFID is working with the World Bank and others to improve data on access to financial services in developing countries, including through microfinance, and plans to conduct financial access surveys in a number of African countries. This data will be important for the design of more effective policies and programmes to extend microfinance and develop financial systems.
	The United Nations have declared 2005 as the International Year of Microcredit. The impact of microfinance is greatest when poor people have access to a wide range of financial services (savings, credit, insurance and transfer payments) that they use to invest in health, education, nutrition, businesses and other opportunities and protect themselves against shocks faced by the households and the wider community.
	Remittances are a critical and growing source of income for many millions of poor people. DFID is developing programmes of remittance activities with a number of developing countries, including Bangladesh, Ghana and Nigeria. We are also supporting the expansion of the www.sendmoneyhome.org website that provides information to diaspora in the UK wishing to send remittances.

G8 Summit

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which of the recommendations of the Commission for Africa were met in the communiqué of the recent G8 summit.

Hilary Benn: G8 Heads signed up to all of the major recommendations set out in the Commission for Africa report that are relevant to their countries. Further information can be obtained in the document entitled 'The Commission for Africa Report vs. the Gleneagles Communiqué on Africa', copies of which I have arranged to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

IMF/World Bank

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking (a) to ensure that the (i) International Monetary Fund and (ii) World Bank are more transparent and accountable to parliaments in developing countries and (b) to promote oversight of each of those institutions by the parliaments of developing countries.

Hilary Benn: DFID recognises the importance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank being transparent and accountable to parliaments in developing countries. Clearly, such accountability needs to be at the heart of their relationship.
	The main means by which parliaments should engage with the World Bank and the IMF activities is through the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) process. This is a national strategy for development that sets the agenda, which donors, including the World Bank, should follow in each country.
	It is true that, in the past, parliamentary engagement in the PRS process has often been weak. However, over the past two years, DFID country offices have begun to support stronger engagement by parliamentarians in the PRS process. We are providing active support for parliamentary engagement in Malawi and Tanzania, where an independent Monitoring Group was established to oversee the joint commitments made around the PRS.
	In Board meetings, DFID encourages the World Bank and the IMF to engage with parliaments as much as possible. We also actively push for them to make more of their documents public and will continue to pursue this both at board meetings and in discussions with staff. In fact, in March this year a new World Bank disclosure policy was approved which, among other things, makes board minutes public. The Bank is now working closely with parliamentarians in some of its borrowing member countries to involve them in the design and implementation of its lending programmes. The World Bank Institute has a major Parliamentary Strengthening Programme. A key objective is to strengthen the capacity of parliaments to scrutinise the allocation and use of public funds, and oversee the PRS. Since it began in 1996, it has held workshops in a range of countries including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ghana, Kenya, Indonesia and Uganda to raise awareness among parliamentarians.
	The World Bank Institute have also supported the African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption (APNAC) and the Global Organization of Parliamentarians against Corruption (GOPAC) to encourage parliamentary scrutiny and action against corruption.
	Outside the PRS, the main means of oversight is the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank, This provides opportunities for parliaments to scrutinise the World Bank and engage more deeply in development policy issues. The independent Network has some 450 members from over 90 countries and facilitates direct dialogue between parliamentarians and the World Bank to achieve greater transparency of policies and practices.

Sierra Leone

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that funding from his Department for Sierra Leone is used for the purposes for which it is intended;
	(2)  what steps the Government are taking to ensure that funding from the UK to Sierra Leone is used for the purposes for which it is intended.

Hilary Benn: DFID is currently providing £40 million annually to Sierra Leone. Our assistance is provided through a ten year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL), which includes benchmarks for progress on reform. These benchmarks are agreed between the UK and the Government of Sierra Leone on an annual basis and progress is reviewed regularly, They cover areas such as action on corruption, and sound financial management. These reforms aim to increase the effectiveness of our aid by strengthening systems of transparency and accountability. The MOU has been key to achieving progress on a range of issues, including establishment of the Office of Auditor General as an independent agency outside the civil service; successful completion of Sierra Leone's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and strengthening the power of the Anti-Corruption Commission.
	Progress against the benchmarks is also a factor in determining the level and timing of our budget support, which we provide directly to the Government of Sierra Leone. Before we provide budget support, DFID insists upon a detailed fiduciary risk assessment (FRA) every three years, which includes an evaluation of the risk of corruption. In the interim, an annual statement of progress should be made to demonstrate the ongoing management of fiduciary risk and to meet audit discharge requirements. We have just completed a new FRA assessment for our programme of budget support to the country. At the project level we have rigorous auditing processes, and independent reviews of activities are conducted throughout the project cycle.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many displaced Sudanese he estimates have returned to the south of Sudan; what assistance with resettlement he has provided; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: According to the latest United Nations (UN) estimates, 500,000 Internally Displaced People (IDPs) and refugees returned to southern Sudan during 2004, The 21-year civil war resulted in an estimated 500,000 people fleeing to neighbouring countries, and an estimated four million IDPs within South Sudan, This year the UN estimates that between 500,000 and 1.2 million people will return, including refugees from outside Sudan and IDPs. There are no accurate estimates of returns to date. The UN has recently prepared a draft operational plan for Support for Spontaneous Returns 2005–06. This details support to returnees on routes of return and in areas of return, including transport, food, non-food assistance, protection and information.
	DFID has provided £45 million to the UN 2005 Workplan for Sudan, over half of which have been allocated by the UN Humanitarian co-ordinator to support humanitarian operations and returns in the south.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding he has made available for the South Sudan Democratic Forum.

Hilary Benn: The South Sudan Democratic Forum (SSDF) is an umbrella organisation of opposition southern groups, including representatives of a number of southern parties outside of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). DFID is encouraging all groups in the south, including the SSDF, to participate in a process of dialogue and reconciliation, and welcome the ongoing discussions between the SPLM and opposition groups. The most recent round of these discussions took place on 5 July 2005. DFID has not provided funding to the SSDF.

Tsunami (Sri Lanka)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has made to the Sri Lankan Government on waiving the customs duty on all imports deemed to be contributing to the humanitarian aid effort.

Gareth Thomas: I refer the hon. Member for Vale of York to my previous response to her tabled parliamentary question of 6 July 2005, Official Report, column 469W.

Water and Sanitation

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the water and sanitation projects funded by his Department during financial years (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05; what the project aims and activities were; when each project was (i) awarded, (ii) started and (iii) completed; what the total cost of each project was; what his Department's contribution to the total costs was; and what the contributions to the total costs were from project contractors.

Hilary Benn: Details of DFID's water and sanitation projects in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05 can be found in the document entitled 'DFID Water and Sanitation Projects Funded During the Financial Years 2003–04 and 2004–05'. It includes details of the project aims, as indicated by the title, total commitment, and expenditure by year. I have arranged for copies of this document to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	It is important to note that DFID also provides support for water and sanitation as an integral part of broader development projects, and through EC and other multilateral organisations. We do not routinely separate figures for sectors such as water from these projects, as this would incur non-essential administrative costs. However, our special report "Financing DFID Support for the Water Sector 2002–04", which will be finalised in August, covers all water-related expenditure for the period 2001–02 to 2003–04.

Accounting System

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the costs of maintaining the Data General Computer and Funds Accounting System used by the Court Funds Office was in 2004–05.

Harriet Harman: The Funds Accounting System used by the Court Funds Office runs on the Data General Computer Platform. The Data General Platform runs four separate applications serving the following organisations:
	The Fund Accounting System (FAS) for the Court Funds Office and the Public Guardianship Office
	The Trust Accounting and Banking system (TABS) for the Official Solicitors and Public Trustee and the Public Guardianship Office
	The Receivership Accounts (REACTS) for the Official Solicitors and Public Trustee
	The Cash Reconciliation System (CASREC) for the Public Guardianship Office
	The share of total costs for the Data General Platform between the three organisations in 2004–05 is as follows CFO £831,216, OSPT £308,145 and PGO £99,333:
	The costs break down as follows:
	
		
			  Operations (£) 
		
		
			 Data general  
			 CFO 109,401 
			 OSPT 218,802 
			 PGO 36,467 
			 Total 364,670 
			   
			 Staff costs  
			 CFO 560,708 
			 OSPT 0 
			 PGO 0 
			 Total 560,708 
			   
			 Third party contracts  
			 CFO 161,107 
			 OSPT 89,343 
			 PGO 62,866 
			 Total 313,316 
			   
			 Total cost  
			 CFO 831,216 
			 OSPT 308,145 
			 PGO 99,333 
			 Total 1,238,694 
		
	
	These costs exclude costs incurred by the CFO, OSPT and PGO on business analysis and service level monitoring. They also exclude the opportunity cost and risks that the contract with Liberata (and in turn Unisys) imposes on the CFO, OSPT and PGO as Liberata (and in turn Unisys) have no obligation to upgrade the applications, the operating system and hardware to eliminate technology risks.
	An earlier parliamentary question requesting clarification regarding renewal of the CFO IT systems was lodged by the right hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon (Mr. Curry), and a written response was made on 26 July 2005.
	There have been no other PQ's lodged by the hon. Member in this Session related to this area. There is no major IT company in his constituency.

Burial Grounds Survey

Charles Walker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  for what reasons the Burial Grounds Survey was issued by the Home Office;
	(2)  what the average cost to her Department is of processing a response to the Home Office Burial Grounds Survey; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  pursuant to her answer dated 14 July 2005, Official Report, column 1298, what aspects of burial law and practice will be covered by the wider review referred to; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The survey was issued by the Home Office in accordance with the commitment in the Government's response to the Environment Select Committee report on cemeteries. The average cost of processing the responses will not be known until the exercise has been completed.
	The main aspects of burial law and practice under review were highlighted in the Home Office consultation paper "Burial Law and Policy in the 21st Century: The Need for a Sensitive and Sustainable approach", a copy of which is available from the House of Commons Library.

Election Communications

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what regulations govern the content of election communications distributed by the Royal Mail.

Harriet Harman: Section 91 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, currently provides that material used in election addresses should relate to the election only. As a matter of principle, the Government does not believe that it would be appropriate to prescribe too closely what candidates may or may not include in their election communications, and believes that the Representation of the People Act 1983, along with the existing laws governing publications and copyright, already cover any possible complaints that may arise about the contents of election addresses.
	The Royal Mail publishes guidance for candidates on what the law allows to ensure that election addresses adhere to the electoral, publication and copyright laws.

Mental Health

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will summarise responses to the consultation document (a) Who Decides? Making decisions on behalf of mentally incapacitated adults and (b) Making Decisions: Helping people who have difficulty for themselves; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: In response to the wide consultation on 'Who Decides?', the Government published the policy statement "Making decisions" in 1999, confirming that Government would legislate to reform the law on decision-making for people who lack capacity. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 received Royal Assent on 7 April.

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when she will answer Question reference 6175 from the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam.

Harriet Harman: I answered the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam on the 21 July 2005, Official Report column 1936W.

Private Finance Projects

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2005, Official Report, column 465W, on private finance projects, what total value of assets and liabilities for each of the listed private finance initiatives and public private partnerships is recorded on the Government balance sheet; what proportion of assets and liabilities is listed; what the accounting treatment is for assets and liabilities; and whether it is compatible with (a) generally-accepted accounting practices and (b) international financial reporting standards.

Harriet Harman: Of the PFI projects listed in my answer of 15 June, the ARAMIS project is not deemed to be an asset of this Department and is therefore not on the balance sheet. There is however, a debtor balance of £0.5 million, which is on the balance sheet. The National Probate Records project is also deemed to be off-balance sheet.
	The Net Book Value (NBV) of those assets deemed to belong to the Department and shown on the balance sheet as at 31 March 2005 are as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 Project NBV 
		
		
			 LOGOS 2.0 
			 LIBRA 12.1 
			 East Anglia Courts 28.4 
			 Exeter Crown and County Court 20.8 
			 Sheffield Family Hearing Centre 5.3 
		
	
	These figures are subject to formal approval from the National Audit Office.
	Where an asset is deemed to belong to the Department then the full value of the asset will be recognised.
	There are also prepayments of £11.6 million recognised as assets along with liabilities of £57.6 million.
	It is yet to be determined between the Department and the National Audit Office (NAO) as to whether or not the Magistrates courts PFI Schemes will be recognised on the Departments balance sheet, so it is not possible at the present time to give the value of any associated assets or liabilities.
	The accounting policies adhered to are those contained in the
	Resource Accounting Manual (RAM). This is determined by decisions made by the Financial Reporting Advisory Board whose aim is to update the RAM in line with any changes to Financial Reporting Standards. International Accounting Standards have not been fully integrated so there may be some differences in accounting treatment.

Select Committee Report (Cemeteries)

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Environment, Transport and Regional Government Select. Committee Report on Cemeteries which the Government accepted.

Harriet Harman: Progress on many of the Select Committee's recommendations has been dependent on the work that has been undertaken to assess the capacity of existing burial grounds and to consult on possible changes to burial law and practice. I expect the results of the former to be available later this year. The results of the latter are being assessed, and I will announce in due course how we intend to proceed in the light of the helpful and wide-ranging views which have been received.
	In the meantime, the advisory group which the Government said it would establish has met regularly over the last four years and has made a significant contribution to the work programme. One example is the draft guidance on burial ground management which we expect to publish later this year. Work on guidance regarding memorial safety is in hand.

Websites

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list websites that come under her Department's responsibility; and what the (a) cost and (b) number of visits was for each in the last year for which figures are available.

Bridget Prentice: The information requested is listed in the following table.
	
		Websites
		
			   2004–05 
			 Organisation Site address Costs(4) (£) Visits 
		
		
			 Asylum and Immigration Tribunal www.ait.gov.uk (5)15,707 458,138 
			 Civil Justice Council www.civiljusticecouncil.gov.uk (5)— 576,670 
			 Commission for Judicial Appointments www.cja.gov.uk (5)— 13,228 
			 Community Legal Service www.clsdirect.org.uk 443,000 901,930 
			 Council on Tribunals www.council-on-tribunais.gov.uk (5)— 54,314 
			 Court Service www.courtservice.gov.uk (5)288,000 6,044,725 
			 Criminal Courts Review www.criminal-courts-review.org.uk (5)— 57,529 
			 Department for Constitutional Affairs www.dca.gov.uk (5)— 3,186,965 
			 Family Justice Council www.familyjusticecouncil.org.uk (5)— n/a 
			 Finance and Tax Tribunals www.financeandtaxtribunals.gov.uk (5)15,962 189,135 
			 Gender Recognition Panel www.grp.gov.uk (5)4,930 30,052 
			 General Commissioners of Income Tax www.tribunalsservice.gov.uk/gcit (5)13,930 n/a 
			 Mutton Inquiry www.the-hutton-inquiry.org.uk (5)— 180,493 
			 Immigration Services Tribunal www.immigrationservicestribunal.gov.uk (5)15,962 24,544 
			 Judicial Studies Board www.jsboard.co.uk (5)— 222,566 
			 Land Registry www.landreg.gov.uk 11,752 2,828,438 
			 Lands Tribunal www.landstribunal.gov.uk (5)15,962 79,829 
			 Law Commission www.lawcom.gov.uk (5)— 370,729 
			 Legal Services Commission www. legalservices.gov. uk 33,000 896,081 
			 Legal Services Research Centre www.lsrc.org.uk 118 n/a 
			 Legal Services Review www.legal-services-review.org.uk (5)— n/a 
			 Magistrates Court Service Inspectorate www.mcsi.gov.uk (5)— 69,481 
			 National Archives www.nationalarchives.gov.uk 316,734 5,633,731 
			 National Archives other sites: family records, learning curve, a2a,  Moving Here, Census Various (6)— n/a 
			 Northern Ireland Court Service www.courtsni.gov.uk 839,835 544,800 
			 Office of Legal Services Ombudsman www.olso.org 2,316 103,172 
			 Office of the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner www.olscc.gov.uk (5)— 5,840 
			 Official Solicitor and Public Trustee www.offsol.demon.co.uk 141 n/a 
			 Pensions Appeal Tribunals www.pensionsappealtribunals.gov.uk (5)15,962 40,645 
			 Public Guardianship Office www.guardianship.gov.uk 297 n/a 
			 Social Security and Child Support Commissioners www.osscsc.gov.uk (5)17,632 288,426 
			 Transport Tribunal www.transportthbunal.gov.uk (5)15,962 30,025 
			 Tribunals Review www.tribunals-review.org.uk (5)— 4,112 
		
	
	(4) Staff costs are not included (unless otherwise stated), and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	(5) The sites hosted by Cable and Wireless under contract. The hosting element of this is £555,096 per annum.
	(6) Complex arrangements with various partners. National Archives contribution assessable only at disproportionate cost.

Grocery Trade

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will effect a moratorium on (a) takeovers and (b) acquisitions in the grocery trade.

Gerry Sutcliffe: No. It is for the independent competition authorities (the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission) to consider individual merger cases on their merits against a competition-focused test.

Media Relations

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the Department has spent on external media relations in each month of the last year.

Alan Johnson: The information requested is not kept in the form requested and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Non-Fossil Fuel/Renewables Obligations

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much (a) research and development funding, (b) capital grants and (c) other state support for energy technologies, excluding the Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation and the Renewables Obligation was provided in each year since 1990, broken down by (i) technology, (ii) Government Department and (iii) support scheme.

Malcolm Wicks: It has not been possible to collate all public expenditure and other Government support since 1990 for energy technologies in the time available at proportionate cost. However it is possible to detail direct DTI and Research Council expenditure on new and renewables, clean fossil fuels and nuclear. These are set out in the following tables.
	In addition to this both DEFRA and the Scottish Executive provide funding to the Carbon Trust which conducts research into low carbon energy activities among other activities. DEFRA also funds research into combined heat and power, which is also detailed in the tables.
	The Government's support for clean, low carbon road vehicle and fuel technologies, including support for research, development and demonstration projects, was summarised in the 2002 Powering Future Vehicles Strategy, a copy of which is available via the Department for Transport's website at http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/page/dft roads_506885.hcsp.
	
		DTI New and Renewable Energy Programme—External Spend for each technology area by financial year from 1990–91
		
			 Spend (rounded to nearest £000) 
			 Programme area 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 
		
		
			 Bio Wastes 874,000 1,237,000 1,158,000 916,000 1,235,000 1,097,000 593,000 75,000 
			 Biomass 973,000 1,153,000 1,961,000 2,378,000 2,350,000 2,313,000 1,937,000 1,317,000 
			 Embedded Generation 0 54,000 108,000 463,000 908,000 835,000 647,000 586,000 
			 Fuel Cells 155,000 339,000 362,000 827,000 915,000 1,172,000 914,000 900,000 
			 Geothermal-Aquifers -8,000 55,000 130,000 143,000 0 0 0 0 
			 Geothermal-Hot Dry Rocks 2,579,000 1,567,000 1,088,000 989,000 245,000 0 0 0 
			 Hydro 33,000 122,000 70,000 167,000 148,000 79,000 142,000 57,000 
			 Solar 2,124,000 2,354,000 2,302,000 2,378,000 2,067,000 1,878,000 1,874,000 1,660,000 
			 Tidal 1,860,000 1,932,000 1,726,000 582,000 220,000 165,000 0 0 
			 Wave 388,000 467,000 325,000 196,000 106,000 42,000 50,000 0 
			 Wind 4,530,000 6,674,000 8,694,000 7,310,000 2,729,000 3,370,000 2,365,000 1,240,000 
			 Grand Total 13,500,000 15,954,000 17,924,000 16,349,000 10,923,000 10,951,000 8,522,000 5,835,000 
		
	
	
		Spend (£000)
		
			 Programme area 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 Total 
		
		
			 Bio Wastes 48,000 25,000 56,000 13,000 42,000 259,000  7,628,000 
			 Biomass 1076,000 1,585,000 1,267,000 1,333,000 1,595,000 1,346,000 974,222 23,558,222 
			 Embedded Generation 530,000 596,000 589,000 776,000 1,424,000 725,000 1,105,640 9,346,640 
			 Fuel Cells 1,197,000 1,168,000 1,410,000 1,249,000 1,200,000 1,701,000 4,907,430 18,416,430 
			 Geothermal-Aquifers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 320,000 
			 Geothermal-Hot Dry Rocks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6,468,000 
			 Hydro 80,000 138,000 60,000 130,000 200,000 85,000 0 1,511,000 
			 Solar 983,000 1278,000 1,264,000 1,522,000 4,485,000 3,131,000 1,970,340 31,270,340 
			 Tidal 0 0 27,000 305,000 1,996,000 2,914,000 1,268,530 12,995,530 
			 Wave 91,000 11,000 331,000 662,000 748,000 2,104,000 — 5,521,000 
			 Wind 950,000 801,000 913,000 1,248,000 1,428,000 1,395,000 1,459,600 45,106,600 
			 Grand total 4955,000 5602,000 5,917,000 7,238,000 13,118,000 13,660,000 11,685,762 162,133,762 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. From 2000–01, figures do not include spend on contracts placed direct by DTI.
	2. For 2004–05, highlighted cells show a combined spend for the two areas.
	3. It has not been possible to collate expenditure on oil and gas research in the time available.
	
		DTI Clean Coal Programme
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1990–91 10,199,000 
			 1991–92 4,108,000 
			 1992–93 3,020,000 
			 1993–94 6,918,000 
			 1994–95 6,876,000 
			 1995–96 6,626,000 
			 1996–97 5,195,000 
			 1997–98 3,100,000 
			 1998–99 2,900,000 
			 1999–2000 2,500,000 
			 2000–01 4,300,000 
			 2001–02 4,400,000 
			 2002–03 3,000,000 
			 2003–04 5,000,000 
			 2004–05 (9)6,500,000 
			 Total 68,142,000 
		
	
	(9) Estimated
	Figures for direct Government expenditure (but not including spending by the Research Councils) on nuclear fission are given in the following table.
	
		Nuclear
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1991–92 73,500,000 
			 1992–93 69,200,000 
			 1993–94 60,900,000 
			 1994–95 12,500,000 
			 1995–96 6,000,000 
			 1996–97 9,300,000 
			 1997–98 1,000,000 
			 1998–99 1,600,000 
			 1999–2000 2,500,000 
			 2000–01 0 
			 2001–02 2,000,000 
			 2002–03 2,100,000 
			 2003–04 2,100,000 
			 2004–05 2,200,000 
			 Total 244,900,000 
		
	
	
		DTI Capital Grant Programmes
		
			 £ 
			  2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 Total 
		
		
			 Biomass (DTI and Lottery spend) — 10,000 1,913,000 1,923,000 
			 Offshore Wind Capital Grants — 0 15,000,000 15,000,000 
			 Clear Skies Community Renewables 200,000 1,387,000 2,413,000 3,800,000 
			 Major PV Demo Programme 960,000 2,880,000 6,450,000 9,330,000 
			 Grand Total 1,160,000 4,277,000 25,776,000 30,053,000 
		
	
	
		DEFRA CHP Programme
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1990–91 300,000 
			 1991–92 300,000 
			 1992–93 300,000 
			 1993–94 400,000 
			 1994–95 500,000 
			 1995–96 500,000 
			 1996–97 700,000 
			 1997–98 1,000,000 
			 1998–99 1,300,000 
			 1999–2000 1,900,000 
			 2000–01 2,500,000 
			 2001–02 2,800,000 
			 2002–03 1,600,000 
			 2003–04 2,500,000 
			 2004–05 2,000,000 
			 Total 18,600,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Several indirect measures of state support for CHP were introduced in 2001–02.
	2. Of those that can be enumerated, climate change levy exemption on fuel inputs to Good Quality CHP and good quality CHP electricity outputs were valued at up to £80 million per annum, while eligibility for Enhanced Capital Allowances is worth in the region of £10 million per annum to the industry.
	3. Capital grants for Community Energy programme schemes were introduced in 2002–03 and the spend on schemes including CHP was: £427,000 in 2002–03, £4,315,000 in 2003–04 and £4,896,000 in 2004–05.
	
		Research Council Spend
		
			 £ 
			 Programme area 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Biofuel 0 0 0 21,540 51,545 
			 Biomass 446,665 870,970 736,434 600,811 700,790 
			 CHP 4,382 36,297 63,210 77,166 267,313 
			 CO2 sequestration 0 0 0 22,544 41,589 
			 Fuel cells 887,584 1,011,524 703,128 898,637 1,145,076 
			 Hydrogen 30,348 135,531 59,169 82,976 318,500 
			 Solar 1,439,835 1,286,000 1,076,000 1,134,000 1,130,000 
			 Photovoltaic 2,254,756 3,001,835 2,759,517 2,991,977 3,536,428 
			 Wave and tidal 0 157,000 175,000 300,599 605,693 
			 Wind 199,847 225,903 177,716 260,596 330,283 
			 Wind/solar l 0 21,000 21,000 100,000 0 
			 Wind/wave 2 0 28,000 28,000 28,000 28,000 
			 Waste 66,012 9,985 39,652 39,962 95,718 
			 Geothermal 0 0 0 0 40,493 
			 Storage 325,808 649,899 669,617 837,918 888,602 
			 Networks 1,347,678 1,167,695 1,081,132 919,165 1,114,793 
			 Total renewable 7,002,915 8,601,639 7,589,576 8,356,384 10,318,881 
			 Conventional 331,072 103,266 107,890 549,220 1,120,493 
			 Fission power 42,111 81,228 61,793 127,562 324,879 
			 Energy Efficiency and Low Carbon Innovation 1,732,072 1,854,776 1,693,629 1,400,400 1,671,465 
			 Other and General 0 13,000 303,000 670,000 602,000 
			 Fusion 16,600,000 12,600,000 14,300,000 17,000,000 14,400,000 
			 Total 25,708,169 23,253,909 24,055,888 28,103,566 28,437,717 
		
	
	
		
			 £ 
			 Programme area 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 Total 
		
		
			 Biofuel 143,990 134,929 92,325 444,329 
			 Biomass 783,026 1,042,526 1,186,257 6,367,479 
			 CHP 356,756 225,905 70,791 1,101,820 
			 CO2 sequestration 77,787 30,323 42,461 214,704 
			 Fuel cells 1,468,042 1,193,165 917,608 8,224,764 
			 Hydrogen 516,560 1,494,155 1,495,130 4,132,369 
			 Solar 1,157,000 1,453,023 1,753,334 10,429,192 
			 Photovoltaic 2,770,354 2,381,044 2,761,866 22,457,777 
			 Wave and tidal 616,694 830,226 1,050,253 3,735,465 
			 Wind 490,447 481,572 255,672 2,422,036 
			 Wind/solar l 0 0 0 142,000 
			 Wind/wave2 28,000 28,000 28,000 196,000 
			 Waste 124,826 169,024 154,474 699,653 
			 Geothermal 64,550 63,550 73,460 79,429 
			 Storage 809,871 730,182 499,536 5,411,433 
			 Networks 1,388,490 1,804,749 2,463,125 11,286,827 
			 Total renewable 10,795,392 12,072,282 12,850,259 — 
			 Conventional 1,349,380 1,252,582 1,627,554 6,441,457 
			 Fission power 307,195 212,239 125,453 1,282,460 
			 Energy Efficiency and Low Carbon Innovation 1,979,554 1,211,881 2,914,276 14,458,053 
			 Other and General 665,000 762,000 1,944,000 4,959,000 
			 Fusion 14,600,000 15,630,000 19,530,000 124,660,000 
			 Total 29,696,521 31,140,985 38,991,541 — 
		
	
	Note:
	Prior to 1997 data on Research Council expenditure was not collated in a way which is comparable to post 1997 expenditure.

Renewable Energy

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many initiatives to promote domestic installation of renewable energy initiatives his Department operates.

Malcolm Wicks: The DTI's "It's only Natural Campaign" is a national campaign to promote renewable technologies across all regions. The objectives of the campaign are to:
	raise awareness of renewable energy and its benefits among planners, councillors, investors and wider public audience;
	inform and educate key audiences to enable them to make informed decisions.
	The DTI also has two grant support mechanisms to encourage the installation of small-scale renewables: Clear Skies, which has a £12.5 million budget, and the PV Demonstration Programme, which has a budget of £31 million. Both programmes promote renewable technologies as well as providing grants.

Sellafield

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2005, Official Report, column 720W, on radioactive leak (Thorp), on what date he was informed of the nuclear waste leakage at Sellafield; on what dates the (a) Euratom and (b) International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards authorities were informed of the discrepancy in the nuclear materials balance at Sellafield; what communications his safeguards department has had with these authorities in respect of the reportage of discrepancies in measured nuclear materials at Sellafield; and what calculation his Department has made of the costs incurred to date by this leakage.

Malcolm Wicks: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 20 June 2005, Official Report, column 721W.
	My predecessor as Energy Minister, the hon. Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien) was informed of the leak of radioactive material at the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP) on 21 April 2005.
	The special report (dated 10 May 2005) on this incident, as required under Article 14 of Commission Regulation 302/2005, was forwarded to the Commission's DG Transport and Energy Directorate H by the UK Safeguards Office on 13 May 2005. However, this official notification had been preceded by verbal notification to the Commission of accounting discrepancies in THORP during a routine inspection on 29 March 2005. When it became clear that the discrepancies were due to a leak, the Commission were informed on 21 April 2005. Further details were provided to Commission inspectors on the Sellafield site during the week beginning 25 April 2005. There is no formal requirement to notify the International Atomic Energy Agency, however the UK made a statement at the Board of Governor's in Vienna during the week of 13 June 2005. The UK Safeguards Office has been kept informed of all related discussions between the British Nuclear Group Sellafield Limited, including participating in a meeting held at the DG TREN offices in Luxembourg on 16 June 2005.
	At this stage in the investigation and analysis of the repair options it is difficult to give an accurate estimate of the costs incurred to date and the likely future costs of any future repairs.

Wind Farms

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the sites of (a) established wind farms and (b) proposed wind farms; and what the generating capacity is of each.

Malcolm Wicks: There are currently more than 100 wind farms with grid connection throughout the UK. The following table is taken from the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) website and lists them at:
	
		
			 Wind Farm Location Capacity (MW) 
		
		
			 Artfield Fell Dumfries & Galloway 19.5 
			 Cefii Croes Ceredigion 58.5 
			 Rothes Elgin, Moray 50.6 
			 Tappaghan Enniskien, Co Fermanagh 19.5 
			 Longhill March, Cambridgeshire 2 
			 Spurness Sanday, Orkney 7.5 
			 Haverigg 3 (repowering) Nr. Millon, Cumbria 3.4 
			 Forest Moor Bradworthy, Devon 2.7 
			 Winscales 2 (extension) Nr. Askam, Cumbria 6.8 
			 Burray Community Wind Northfield, Orkney 0.85 
			 Ness Point Lowestoft, Suffolk 2.75 
			 Gigha Community Isle of Gigha, Highlands 0.675 
			 Bambers Farm Lincolnshire 4.8 
			 Scroby Sands Norfolk Coast 60 
			 Causeymire Mybster, Highlands 48 
			 3Hs—Hare Hill County Durham 5 
			 Ford Motors Dagenham, London 3.6 
			 Crystal Rig Borders 50 
			 3Hs—Holmside Hall County Durham 5 
			 Llangwyryfon II Ceredigion 9.35 
			 Cruach Mhor Argyll & Bute 29.75 
			 Ardrossan North Ayrshire 24 
			 3Hs—High Volts County Durham 7.8 
			 North Hoyle—Offshore North Wales Coast 60 
			 Swaffham extension Norfolk 1.8 
			 Altahullion Londonderry 26 
			 Forss Caithness 2.32 
			 Burra Dale II Shetland 1.7 
			 Moel Moelogen Conwy 2.6 
			 Mawla Conwy 1.3 
			 Tangy Argyll & Bute 12.75 
			 Lendrum's Bridge II Co Tyrone 7.26 
			 HaffotyUchall Clwyd 1.7 
			 Bowbeat Borders 31.2 
			 Blaen Bowi Carmarthenshire 3.9 
			 Mablethorpe Lincolnshire 1.2 
			 Thorfmn, Burgar Hill Orkney 2.75 
			 BuFarm Orkney 2.7 
			 Cemmaes II Powys 15.3 
			 Out Newton Yorkshire 9 
			 Beinn an Tuirc Argyll & Bute 30 
			 Myres Hill Galloway 1.8 
			 Tow Law County Durham 2.25 
			 High Hedley Hope County Durham 2.25 
			 Deucheran Hill Kintyre 15 
			 Bears Down Cornwall 9.6 
			 Pare Cynog Carmarthenshire 3.6 
			 Burra Dale Shetland 1.98 
			 Blyth Offshore Northumberland 3.8 
			 Hare Hill Ayrshire 13 
			 Sigurd, Burgar Hill Orkney 1.3 
			 Lambrigg Cumbria 6.5 
			 Dun Law Borders 17.16 
			 Somerton Norfolk 1.5 
			 Kirkheaton Northumberland 1.8 
			 Thorfinn, Burgar Hill Orkney 1.5 
			 Lowca Cumbria 4.62 
			 Great Orton II Cumbria 3.96 
			 Lendrum's Bridge County Tyrone 5.94 
			 KS Winscales Cumbria 1.98 
			 EcoTech Centre Norfolk (Swaffham) 1.5 
			 Askam Cumbria 4.62 
			 Beinn Ghlas Argyll and Bute 8.4 
			 Royal Seaforth Dock Merseyside 3.6 
			 Slievenahanghan County Antrim 1 
			 HaffotyUcha Clwyd 0.6 
			 Haverigg II Cumbria 2.4 
			 Mynydd Gorddu Ceredigion 10.2 
			 Llyn Alaw Anglesey 20.4 
			 Novar Highlands 17 
			 CAT Centre for Alternative Technology Powys 0.6 
			 Owenreagh County Tyrone 5 
			 Rheidol Ceredigion 2.4 
			 Great Eppleton Sunderland 3 
			 Harlock Hill Cumbria 2.5 
			 Lynch Knoll Gloucestershire 0.5 
			 Carno Powys 33.6 
			 Windy Standard Galloway 21.6 
			 Oldside Cumbria 5.36 
			 Siddick Cumbria 4.17 
			 Trysglwyn Anglesey 5.6 
			 Slieve Rushen County Fermanagh 5 
			 Hagshaw Hill Lanarkshire 15.6 
			 Bessy Bell County Tyrone 5 
			 Elliot's Hill County Antrim 5 
			 Rigged Hill County L'derry 5 
			 Four Burrows Cornwall 4.5 
			 Corkey County Antrim 5 
			 Dyffryn Brodyn Carmarthenshire 5.5 
			 Caton Moor Lancashire 3 
			 St. Breock Cornwall 4.95 
			 Bryn Titli Powys 9.9 
			 Royd Moor South Yorkshire 5.85 
			 Kirkby Moor Cumbria 4.8 
			 Taff Ely Mid-Glamorgan 9 
			 Ovenden Moor Yorkshire 9.2 
			 Goonhilly Downs Cornwall 5.6 
			 Cold Northcott Cornwall 6.8 
			 Coal Clough Lancashire 9.6 
			 P&L Powys 30.9 
			 Blyth Harbour Northumberland 2.7 
			 Rhyd-y-Groes Anglesey 7.2 
			 Chelker Reservoir Yorkshire 1.2 
			 Blood Hill Norfolk 2.25 
			 Garland Cross Cornwall 6 
			 Delabole Cornwall 4.0 
		
	
	The list of those wind farms that are currently under construction is:
	
		
			 Wind farm Location Capacity (MW) 
		
		
			 Ardinglass Cairndu, Mid Argyll 15.75 
			 Artfield Nr. Stranraer, Dunfries and Galloway 20 
			 Black Law Forth, South Lanarkshire 97 
			 Boyndie Airfield Banff, Aberdeenshire 14 
			 Glens of Foudland Nr. Huntly, Aberdeenshire 26 
			 Hadyard Hill Girvan, South Ayrshire 120 
			 Kentish Flats 8.5 km off Whitstable, Kent 90 
			 Barrow 7km off Walney Island in the East Irish Sea. 90 
			 Pauls Hill 20 km Elgin, Moray 56 
			 Wardlaw Wood Dairy, North Ayrshire 18 
			 Winscales Extension East Town End Farm, Askam 6.8

Army Applicants

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications to join the Army from Northern Ireland were rejected on national security grounds in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05.

Don Touhig: During 2003 nine applications to join the Army from Northern Ireland were rejected on grounds of national security. The figure for rejected applications during 2004 was 39 and up until the 21 July 2005 the figure was five.
	The figures relate to applications from within Northern Ireland wishing to join the regular Army, including the General Service battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment (R IRISH), and the Home Service battalions of the R IRISH.

Disablement Pensions

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of applications for war disablement pensions were successful for each major disability in each year since April 1997.

Don Touhig: holding answer 21 July 2005
	Departmental information systems cannot provide a breakdown of War Disablement Claims by "major disability" as this level of medical data is not available. It is however possible to provide information on the percentage disability awarded of first claims cleared each year since 2000–01, and this is given as follows:
	
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Awarded 20 per cent. + disability 2,485 2,590 2,065 1,840 1,720 
			 Awarded 1–19 per cent. disability 3,900 4,375 3,370 3,295 3,450 
			 Awarded 0 per cent. disability 2,910 2,705 2,315 1,935 1,590 
			 Rejected 1,195 1,090 895 850 825 
			 Total 10,490 10,760 8,645 7,920 7,585 
			 Percentage awarded 88.6 89.9 89.6 89.3 89.1 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.

PFI/PPP Schemes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what defence training activities are being considered for provision under (a) private finance initiative and (b) public private partnership schemes; and what the timescale for (i) main gate approval and (ii) financial closure is.

Don Touhig: HM Treasury (HMT) defines Public Private Partnerships (PPP) as privately financed projects and other forms of joint ventures, but excludes Prime Contracts, Partnering and other outsourcing deals. This answer is based on the HMT definition of PPP.
	The following three projects are currently being considered for provision under PPP arrangements as defined by HMT:
	Royal School of Military Engineering—a contract to provide training facilities and construction engineering training for the Royal Engineers. Main Gate approval is currently anticipated in March 2006, and financial close is currently anticipated in November 2006.
	Defence Training Review—contracts to meet rationalisation objectives while providing in-service specialised military training needs. Main Gate approval is currently anticipated in July 2006, and Financial Close is currently anticipated in July 2007.
	UK Military Flying Training System—will provide tri-Service military flying training, utilising a mix of PFI and smart conventional procurement. It is currently anticipated that Main Gate approval will be sought during late 2006 and financial closure by mid 2007.
	It must be emphasised that the dates provided are planning dates only and are continually being reviewed and may therefore change.

Scottish Defence Bases

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the operating cost of each defence base in Scotland was in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is shown in the schedule.
	The schedule is in two sections: Section A provides the operating costs for financial years 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04 for defence sites in Scotland where the information you request is available; the operating costs relating to years 1997–98 to 2000–01 could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Section B provides a list of the remaining sites in Scotland for which operating costs are not readily available and, similarly, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The operating costs shown in the schedule include non-cash transactions, principally depreciation and cost of capital charge, where appropriate and available.
	
		Operating cost of defence bases in Scotland: Section A £ million
		
			 Location TLB Description of base 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Beith DLO Defence Munitions Beith (13)7.593 (13)6.099 (13)3.873 
			 Crombie DLO Defence Munitions Crombie (13)8.168 (13)8.136 (13)6.992 
			 Garelochhead DLO Oil Fuel Depot 1.191 1.075 1.471 
			 Glen Douglas DLO Defence Munitions Glen Douglas (13)5.175 (13)4.557 (13)5.163 
			 Barry Buddon LAND Defence Training (14)1.384 (14)1.714 (14)1.749 
			 Dounreay DPA Nuclear Reactor Test Establishment 24.500 24.500 25.500 
			 Buchan STC RAF Buchan 29.749 26.102 23.327 
			 Coulport DLO RNAD Coulport and HMNB Faslane 229.136 291.557 207.026 
			 Edinburgh LAND Dreghorn Barracks (14)16.377 (14)16.732 (14)17.278 
			 Edinburgh LAND Redford Infantry (14)15.656 (14)16.614 (14)16.510 
			 Greenock DLO Marine Service Base 1.078 1.217 0.719 
			 Kinloss STC RAF Kinloss 193.451 211.497 162.298 
			 Leuchars STC RAF Leuchars St Andrews 124.616 162.718 217.867 
			 Lossiemouth STC RAF Lossiemouth 210.660 238.423 240.685 
			 Rosyth DLO HMS Caledonia 31.816 44.685 20.844 
			 Stirling DLO Army Base Repairs 5.937 8.048 8.572 
		
	
	(13) Excludes cost of capital charges, which are not attributed to individual bases.
	(14) Excludes depreciation and cost of capital charges, which are not attributed to individual bases.
	
		Section B
		
			 Location TLB Description of base 
		
		
			 Ballachulish AG Joint Service Mountain Training Centre 
			 Camusbarron LAND Training Area 
			 Cultybraggan LAND Training Camp 
			 Edinburgh LAND Castlelaw Ranges 
			 Edinburgh LAND Edinburgh Castle 
			 Fort George LAND Fort George Ranges 
			 Garelochhead LAND Garelochhead Camp 
			 Glasgow PTC RAF University Air Squadron 
			 Kingussie LAND Kingussie Training Hut 
			 Kircudbright LAND Ranges 
			 Penicuik LAND Army Training Regiment 
			 Perth LAND Highland Brigade 
			 Stirling LAND Drip Bridge Training Camp 
			 Stirling LAND Highland Brigade 
			 Ballater LAND Victoria Barracks 
			 Fort George LAND Fort George Barracks 
			 Inverness LAND Cameron barracks 
			 Arbroath Fleet HMS Condor 
			 Cape Wrath DLO Bombing Range 
			 Crimond DLO RNWC Crimond- DCSA IT support 
			 Eskdalemuir DPA Seismological Array station 
			 Glasgow Fleet Royal Marines Reserve 
			 Greenock DLO Navy Building Greenock 
			 Prestwick Fleet HMS Garnet

Departmental Expenditure

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total spending by her Department on (a) staff, (b) accommodation and (c) procurement in (i) Dundee East constituency, (ii) Tayside and (iii) the city of Dundee was for the most recent year for which figures are available.

Richard Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not spent anything on staff, accommodation or procurement in Dundee East, Tayside or the city of Dundee.

Equality and Diversity

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Department has spent promoting equality and diversity in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Richard Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has spent the following amounts on promoting diversity in the last three years (the only years for which figures are available).
	
		
			  £ 
			  Amount spent 
		
		
			 2005–06 (15)5,464 
			 2004–05 56,272 
			 2003–04 139,930 
		
	
	(15) 2005–06 amount is to date

Licensing Laws

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if she will change the way in which charges are apportioned to licensed premises so that they are based on the rateable value of only the area that is serving alcohol, rather than the club or premises as a whole;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the impact that the Licensing Act 2003 will have on garden centres who sell small amounts of alcohol in their cafés.

James Purnell: My Department has made no specific assessment of the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on garden centres which sell small amounts of alcohol. However, Regulatory Impact Assessments were provided to Parliament with the Bill and the fees regulations, which considered the impact of the 2003 Act more broadly, including on small businesses. These are available in the Library of the House.
	Fees were set which recognised the various sizes of businesses engaged in licensable activities. However, Ministers agreed to establish an Independent Fees Panel to review the impact of the fees. This has now been established under the chairmanship of Sir Les Elton. We expect the panel to consider a range of business concerns about the fees regime and draw on evidence and expertise provided during the course of the review process, including the issue where the premises to be licensed only forms a small part of a larger hereditament and does not, itself, have a separate rateable value.

Olympics 2012

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will site an (a) Olympic event and (b) Olympic-related cultural event in (i) the constituency of Houghton and Washington East, (ii) the area covered by Sunderland city council and (iii) the North East of England in 2012.

Richard Caborn: The Candidature File, submitted to the IOC on 15 November 2004, contains detailed proposals for all sports venues that will be used in the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012, including St. James' Park in Newcastle, which will host part of the Olympic football competition. The venues were selected using the technical guidelines provided by the IOC and have been agreed by the International Sports Federations.
	Over the coming months, the London Organising Committee of the Games (LOCOG) culture and education team will establish a framework that will allow for the broadest levels of inclusion and engagement across the UK in the delivery of our Olympic culture and education programmes. They will build on the strong relationships London 2012 have already established with the Regional Cultural Consortia.

Bovine TB

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of badgers killed due to (a) road vehicles, (b) illegal action, (c) Government-organised badger culling programmes and (d) other causes in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: It is not possible to provide an estimate for each of the categories requested as no data is centrally held for the number of badgers killed due to illegal persecution or other causes. However, seven suspected incidents of illegal badger culling activities have been identified since February 2002 and reported to the police authorities.
	(a) Between 2000 and May 2005 3,897 badgers were collected, killed due to road vehicles, within the Road Traffic Accident survey area which operates in the seven counties of Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Dorset. Outside of the seven counties no data is collected.
	(b) 9,758 badgers have been dispatched since 1998 under the Government-organised Randomised Badger Culling Trial.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many bovines tested positive for bovine tuberculosis as a percentage of the total number of bovines in each of the counties of England and Wales in the past 12 months for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not centrally held in the format requested. However, the following table provides data on the number of confirmed new herd incidents, broken down by county for 2004.
	
		Confirmed new herd incidents—1 January to 31 December 2004
		
			 Region Tests on unrestricted herds Confirmed new herd incidents (CNIs) CNIs as percentage of tests on unrestricted herds 
		
		
			 England and Wales total 43,393 1,723 3.97 
			 England total 34,287 1,407 4.10 
			 Wales total 9,106 316 3.47 
			 
			 England
			 Avon 1,053 46 4.37 
			 Bedfordshire 51 — — 
			 Berkshire 89 — — 
			 Buckinghamshire 204 — — 
			 Cambridgeshire 93 — — 
			 Cheshire 1,173 16 1.36 
			 Cleveland 59 1 1.69 
			 Cornwall 3,469 209 6.02 
			 Cumbria 2,223 17 0.76 
			 Derbyshire 1,147 40 3.49 
			 Devon 5,520 396 7.17 
			 Dorset 994 22 2.21 
			 Durham 399 1 0.25 
			 East Sussex 265 8 3.02 
			 Essex 89 — — 
			 Gloucestershire 1,544 135 8.74 
			 Greater London—East 9 — — 
			 Greater London—South East 17 — — 
			 Greater Manchester 166 — — 
			 Hampshire 281 — — 
			 Hereford and Worcester 2,115 200 9.46 
			 Hertfordshire 55 — — 
			 Humberside 341 6 1.76 
			 Isle of Wight 54 — — 
			 Isles of Scilly 3 — — 
			 Kent 217 — — 
			 Lancashire 676 — — 
			 Leicestershire 456 5 1.10 
			 Lincolnshire 397 3 0.76 
			 Merseyside 33 — — 
			 Norfolk 309 1 0.32 
			 North Yorkshire (48) 1,234 6 0.49 
			 North Yorkshire (50) 58 1 1.72 
			 Northamptonshire 262 5 1.91 
			 Northumberland 656 — — 
			 Nottinghamshire 177 3 1.69 
			 Oxfordshire 247 3 1.21 
			 Shropshire 1,705 63 3.70 
			 Somerset 2,008 72 3.59 
			 South Yorkshire 117 1 0.85 
			 Staffordshire 1,779 69 3.88 
			 Suffolk 182 1 0.55 
			 Surrey 127 — — 
			 Tyne and Wear 30 — — 
			 Warwickshire 320 5 1.56 
			 West Midlands 34 — — 
			 West Sussex 176 1 0.34 
			 West Yorkshire 296 1 0.34 
			 Wiltshire 1,378 70 5.08 
			 Total 34,287 1,407 4.10 
			 
			 Wales
			 Clwyd 549 4 0.73 
			 Dyfed 4,424 154 3.48 
			 Gwent 895 36 4.02 
			 Gwynedd 586 4 0.68 
			 Mid Glamorgan 169 2 1.18 
			 Powys 2,161 104 4.81 
			 South Glamorgan 82 — — 
			 West Glamorgan 240 12 5.00 
			 Total 9,106 316 3.47 
		
	
	Source:
	Provisional data downloaded from the State Veterinary Service Data Warehouse on 19 May 2005. Subject to change as more data becomes available.

Climate Change

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what decisions were reached by the recent meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on the impact of climate change.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The decision of the 30th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on the impact of climate change is set out as follows. The UK will play an active part in realising this decision through support to an expert working group.
	The World Heritage Committee,
	Having examined Document WHC-05/29.COM/7B.Rev,
	Recognising the work being undertaken within the framework of the UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), and the need for a proper co-ordination of such work with the activities under the convention,
	Takes note of the four petitions seeking to have Sagarmatha National Park (Nepal), Huascaran National Park (Peru), the Great Barrier Reef (Australia) and the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (Belize) included on the List of World Heritage in Danger;
	Appreciates the genuine concerns raised by the various organisations and individuals supporting these petitions relating to threats to natural World Heritage properties that are or may be the result of climate change;
	Further notes that the impacts of climate change are affecting many and are likely to affect many more World Heritage properties, both natural and cultural in the years to come;
	Encourages all States Parties to seriously consider the potential impacts of climate change within their management planning, in particular with monitoring, and risk preparedness strategies, and to take early action in response to these potential impacts.
	Requests the World Heritage Centre in collaboration with the advisory bodies, interested states parties and petitioners, to establish a broad working group of experts to a) review the nature and scale of the risks posed to World Heritage properties arising specifically from climate change; and b) jointly develop a strategy to assist state parties to implement appropriate management responses;
	Welcomes the offer of the state party of the United Kingdom to host a meeting of such working group of experts;
	Requests that the working group of experts, in consultation with the World Heritage Centre, the advisory bodies and other relevant UN bodies, prepare a joint report on "Predicting and managing the effects of climate change on World Heritage", to be examined by the committee at its 30th session (2006);
	Strongly encourages states parties and the advisory bodies to use the network of World Heritage properties to highlight the threats posed by climate change to natural and cultural heritage, start identifying the properties under most serious threats, and also use the network to demonstrate management actions that need to be taken to meet such threats, both within the properties and in their wider context;
	Also encourages UNESCO to do its utmost to ensure that the results about climate change affecting the World Heritage sites reach the public at large, in order to mobilise political support for activities against climate change and to safeguard in this way the livelihood of the poorest people of our planet.

Common Agricultural Policy

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her latest estimate is of the total cost of the UK's contribution to the Common Agricultural Policy in each of the next five years if no major reforms take place.

Jim Knight: Figures for the UK's net contribution to EU institutions are given in the Treasury's statement on the 2005 EC Budget and measures to counter fraud and financial mismanagement and the 2005 Financial Statement and Budget Report. These figures are for the whole Budget, reflecting the fact that the UK contributes to the EC Budget as a whole rather than to specific components of it. As with other elements of total managed expenditure, forecasts are only available to the end of the current Spending Review in 2007–08.
	On this basis, the UK net contribution is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Net contributions to EC budget (rounded) 
		
		
			 2003–04 outturn 3,264 
			 2004–05 estimated outturn 4,310 
			 2005–06 plans 3,764 
			 2006–07 plans 3,398 
			 2007–08 plans 5,173

Dairy Products

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what has been the average price of (a) one litre of milk and (b) 250 grams of butter in each year since 1997; and what those figures are at constant prices.

Jim Knight: Average retail prices for 1 litre of milk and 250 grams of butter are shown in the following table. The prices have also been converted to a constant price series using the All Items Retail Price Index. The All Items Retail Price
	Index and the constant prices for milk and butter (based on average 2004 prices) are also shown in the following table.
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Milk  
			 Retail price of whole milk (pence per litre)(16) 62 60 60 60 65 
			 Whole milk at constant 2004 prices (pence per litre) 73 69 68 66 70 
			   
			 Butter  
			 Retail price of butter (pence per250g) 83 85 84 82 79 
			 Butter at constant 2004 prices (pence per 250g) 98 97 95 90 85 
			   
			 Retail Price Index  
			 All Items Retail Price Index annual average (1987=100) 157.5 162.9 165.4 170.3 173.4 
		
	
	
		
			  2002 2003 2004 2005(17) 
		
		
			 Milk 
			 Retail price of whole milk (pence per litre)(16) 63 65 62 61 
			 Whole milk at constant 2004 prices (pence per litre) 67 67 62 60 
			  
			 Butter 
			 Retail price of butter (pence per250g) 77 76 80 77 
			 Butter at constant 2004 prices (pence per 250g) 82 78 80 75 
			  
			 Retail Price Index 
			 All Items Retail Price Index annual average (1987=100) 176.2 181.3 186.7 190.8 
		
	
	(16) Average price of one pint of delivered milk and the one pint equivalent of two pints of shop bought milk.
	(17) To June

Internal Market Services Directive

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on environmental regulation of the EU Directive on services in the internal market.

Elliot Morley: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 21 July 2005 by my hon. friend the Minister of State Trade (Ian Pearson).

Livestock Feed

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that contaminated food is not fed to cattle.

Ben Bradshaw: I am answering on the basis that the question is being asked in the context of BSE and the livestock feed provided to cattle.
	The steps being taken are two-fold. Firstly, there are measures applied to ensure that all potentially BSE-infective material, including the carcasses of suspect animals, is effectively separated and disposed of, and is not therefore available for any use. But more directly, there are comprehensive and stringent feed controls which regulate the use of all animal protein products in the diets of all farmed animals, not just cattle. The controls now apply equally across the EU, banning animal proteins, with a few exceptions, from farmed animal feed.
	The State Veterinary Service in Great Britain carries out a comprehensive programme of monitoring to ensure compliance with the feed ban. Calculated against Great Britain's level of compound feed production, the yearly level of monitoring recommended in EU legislation is to undertake a minimum of 940 inspections and to take 1,882 feed samples. The State Veterinary Service carried out 2,295 inspections and took 17,239 samples under the National Feed Audit during 2004—i.e. nearly 2.5 times more than the recommended minimum number of inspections, and over nine times more than the recommended minimum number of samples. Monitoring over the years has always indicated a high level of compliance with the feed ban, and this is reflected in the continuing reduction of the incidence of BSE in cattle.
	The Department also keeps the efficacy of the feed ban under continuous review. An independent review by Professor William Hill FRS, of the University of Edinburgh, was requested by Defra and published on 7 July 2005. The review examined the possible reasons for the cases of BSE occurring since the reinforced feed ban in 1996, together with the control measures being applied by the Government. The review's conclusions re-confirmed the elimination of feed-borne sources to be the key to the eradication of BSE, and recommended that risk-based controls and monitoring should be maintained on animals and feed.
	Professor Hill's review is available on Defra's internet site on the BSE home-page under "Latest developments" at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/bse/index.htm

Scrapie

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evaluation she has made of research by (a) UK organisations, (b) the UK Government and (c) other EU member states into the spread of scrapie in herds of goats; on what scientific evidence the current guidelines for slaughtering an entire herd of goats if only one is diagnosed with scrapie are based; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Research carried out in the UK provides evidence that goats are susceptible to both BSE and scrapie and naturally occurring scrapie has been recorded in goats in Great Britain. As in sheep, the clinical appearance of these two conditions in goats cannot be distinguished. Control measures to protect public health from BSE are therefore directed at the eradication of all Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) diseases from sheep and goats within the EU. Research on sheep in the UK and Europe has shown certain PrP genotypes to be more resistant to TSE infection. This is the basis of the national scrapie plan in which selective breeding is used to establish sheep flocks with more resistant genotypes. Studies on goats have shown considerable variability in PrP genotypes but there is no currently available evidence that resistant genotypes exist which can be promoted through genetic selection. Control of TSE disease, and thus any potential for the presence of BSE, in goat herds is based on the culling of herds in which scrapie is found to exist.
	As there are very few cases of goat TSE reported in the UK, it has not been possible to carry out scientific epidemiological studies on the spread of TSEs in goats. Research is being done in European countries with much larger goat populations than the UK, notably in Cyprus where there is an ongoing TSE epidemic. DEFRA is monitoring this work to see if it has any implications for the UK goat population. Following the recently reported case of BSE in a goat in France the EU has announced a research call to investigate the topic of "BSE infectivity in milk, milk products and meat derived from goats". DEFRA will also monitor the progress of this proposed research.
	The current whole-herd slaughter policy in herds where there is a confirmed case of a TSE in a goat is a requirement of European Community legislation (Regulation 999/2001). When drafting this legislation the commission took into consideration the opinion of their Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) on the safe sourcing of small ruminant (sheep and goat) material (4–5 April 2002). Because genotyping and removal of susceptible animals is not an option in goats, it was felt that the only way to protect consumers from the theoretical risk of BSE in goats was a whole goat herd cull policy. The commission are currently reviewing their TSE eradication policy for small ruminants.

Waste Management

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of green waste collection and composting schemes on the levels of recycling of municipal waste; and how much municipal waste other than green waste was recycled in the last period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Figures are available for the amount of green waste collected for composting from households in England since 1996–97. Household waste constitutes about 90 per cent. of all municipal waste, and the vast majority of non-household municipal waste collected for recycling is rubble from construction and industry.
	The amount of waste collected for recycling from households has increased from 1.6 million tonnes in 1996–97 to 4.5 million tonnes in 2003–04. However, the amount of green waste collected for composting has increased from 0.3 million tonnes in 1996–97 to 1.4 million tonnes in 2003–04. In 2003–04 about 30 per cent. of household waste collected for recycling was green waste compared to only 17 per cent. in 1996–97.
	
		Household waste collected for recycling Thousand tonnes
		
			  1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Green Waste 278 383 454 668 798 978 1,189 1,360 
			 Other Materials 1,341 1,486 1,640 1,845 1,980 2,210 2,554 3,156 
			 All Materials 1,619 1,869 2,094 2,513 2,777 3,188 3,743 4,516 
		
	
	DEFRA will be publishing recycling data for 2003–04 as part of the Municipal Waste Management Survey to be launched on 1 August. The results of the survey will include information on the materials collected.

Zoo Licensing Legislation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will (a) issue definitive guidance to local authorities on all species status under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 (as amended) and (b) revise the Zoo Licensing Act 1981.

Jim Knight: On point (a) , the Department already issues comprehensive guidance to local authorities on the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 (as amended) in the form of Defra Circular 02/2003 and the Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice (last revised in 2004). In addition, the Zoos Forum (the Government's advisers on zoos issues) also publishes supplementary guidance.
	Circular 02/2003 includes guidance to local authorities on which groups of species are considered, for the purposes of the Act, to be "wild animals" (thereby triggering the requirement for a zoo licence if exhibited) or "normally domesticated" animals, focusing on cases which have caused uncertainty (this is updated by more recent guidance on llama and alpaca). The guidance is kept under review but there are no plans at present to develop further substantive guidance on this.
	On point (b) , there are no plans at present to further revise the Zoo Licensing Act 1981.

Appointments

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what appointments were made to lead bodies providing services within the education sector for which she is responsible in each year since 1997; and what their (a) role, (b) pay, (c) length of tenure at appointment and (d) previous experience in (i) the public sector and (ii) private sector was in each case.

Bill Rammell: Details of appointments to the boards of non-departmental public bodies are published each year in the departmental report, listing names, role, pay and term of appointment.
	The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) was established in June 2001. departmental reports for 2002 onwards are available online at the DfES website and in the House of Commons Library. Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) reports for 1997 to 2001 are available in the House of Commons Library.
	Details of appointees' previous experience in the public or private sector are not recorded in the reports. This information is available from press notices announcing the appointments. Press notices from 1998 onwards are available from the DfES website.

Chemistry

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many undergraduates studied (a) chemistry and (b) biochemistry in (i) 2004–05 and (ii) 1995–96 (A) in total and (B) as a percentage of the total undergraduate population.

Bill Rammell: The latest information is given in the following table:
	
		Undergraduate students(20) at English HE institutions1995/96 and 2003/04
		
			  Subject of study 
			  Chemistry Biochemistry (including molecular biology and biophysics) 
			  Student numbers Percentage of undergraduate population Student numbers Percentage of undergraduate population 
		
		
			 1995/96 12,960 1.1 5,125 0.5 
			 2003/04 10,390 0.7 5,945 0.4 
		
	
	(20) Based on a count of students as at 1 December in each academic year.
	Notes:
	1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.
	2. In 2002/03, changes were made to the method used to allocate students to subjects of study. The main effect of this was to increase the number of students allocated to individual named subjects and to decrease those who were allocated to the "Combined Course" category. This means that figures for 2002/03 and 2003/04 are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Child Minders

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many complaints against child minders investigated by Ofsted have subsequently turned out to be vexatious in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many investigations against child minders have been undertaken by Ofsted in each of the last five years; and how many resulted in action.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 18 July 2005
	These are matters for the Office of Standards in Education (Ofsted). David Bell, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector for Schools will write to the hon. Gentleman and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
	Letter from David Bell to Mr. Tim Loughton, dated 22 July 2005
	Your recent parliamentary questions concerning childminders have been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	You asked:
	(i) how many complaints against childminders investigated by Ofsted have subsequently turned out to be vexatious in each of the last five years.
	(ii) how many investigations against childminders have been undertaken by Ofsted in each of the last five years; and how many resulted in action.
	In relation to the first question, Ofsted does not record the number of vexatious complaints made against childminders. Ofsted's role is to help to secure better education and care through effective inspection and regulation. Ofsted looks into complaints which suggest that childminders and day care providers are not meeting the government's National Standards.
	Ofsted's first concern is with the welfare of the children in the provider's care. When Ofsted has investigated a complaint it records the outcome of the investigation. This could be the action the provider or Ofsted had to take to bring about compliance with the Standards or that Ofsted found the provider to be meeting the National Standards. Ofsted reports either outcome to parents and in its regular inspection reports. It does not record or report whether a complaint was vexatious. It may be, of course, that even if a complaint was vexatious it could still lead Ofsted to identify some areas for improvement in the childminder's practice and so have a positive impact on the children concerned.
	However, Ofsted does recognise that providers will have concerns about having a number of complaints recorded against their names, even if Ofsted on inspection found that National Standards were being met. For that reason, where it appears that a number of complaints could have been made by the same source and they all resulted in a finding that the Standards were being met, they are not reported on in inspection reports individually.
	Ofsted recognises the concern childminders may feel about this issue and is looking at its practice to see if it can handle complaints in a more transparent and effective way. The government has just consulted on a new duty to be placed on providers to investigate and report on complaints. It may be that Ofsted will be able to change its complaints procedures and recording in the light of this. It will work with provider organisations to make sure it does this as well as it can.
	In relation to your second question, please find attached two tables with this information.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to the Rt Hon Beverley Hughes MP and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		Investigations against child minders undertaken by Ofsted and the number of resulting actions(21)
		
			 Financial year(22) Number of investigations against child minders Number of resulting actions against child minders 
		
		
			 April 2004 to March 2005 2,448 456 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 2,550 398 
		
	
	
		
			 Transitional period(23) Number of complaints received by Ofsted about child care provision Number of resulting enforcement actions against child minders and providers of day care 
		
		
			 September 2001 to March 2003 (24)10,500 (24)410 
		
	
	(21) The law gives Ofsted a number of actions that it can follow in the event of a provider failing to meet their statutory obligations, including compliance notices, prosecution for some offences and cancellation of a registration. Ofsted can also impose specific conditions on a registration or suspend a registration whilst steps are taken to reduce or eliminate the risk of harm to children.
	(22) Ofsted's Early Years Directorate counts, records and publishes data by financial year, 1 April to 31 March, and not by calendar year.
	(23) The duty to regulate and inspect under 8s child care transferred from the local authorities to Ofsted on 1 September 2001. The first 18 months of Ofsted's regulatory activity, between 1 September 2001 and March 2003, was considered a transitional period. During the transition period Ofsted's focused on ensuring existing child care providers were able to make the transition from local authority requirements to the governments new minimum criteria for all under 8s child care set out in "National standards for under 8s day care and childminding".
	(24) No breakdown between day care and child minding for the period (see following note).
	Note:
	Data recorded during the transitional period does not always differentiate between day care and child minding. We have provided child minder data where this is available.
	
		Breakdown of enforcement action
		
			 All figures are for child minding unless otherwise stated September 2001 to March 2003(25) April 2003 to March 2004(26) April 2004 to March 2005(26) 
		
		
			 Notice of compliance instructing providers they must comply with the National Standards (27)40 (Child minders 17) 130  130 
			 Change to conditions of registration (27)68 17 14 
			 Voluntary suspension of registration (27)106 77 95 
			 Statutory suspension of registration(28) n/a 29 27 
			 Cancellation of registration (27)45 36 81 
			 Emergency order from a Justice of the Peace (27)27 2 4 
			 Prosecution Confirming data 3 1 
			 Enforcement action against unregistered child minding 124 104 104 
			 Total number of resulting actions against child minders — 398 456 
		
	
	(25) The duty to regulate and inspect under 8s child care transferred from the local authorities to Ofsted on 1 September 2001. The first 18 months of Ofsted's regulatory activity, between 1 September 2001 and March 2003, was considered a transitional period. During the transition period Ofsted's focused on ensuring existing child care providers were able to make the transition from local authority requirements to the governments new minimum criteria for all under 8s child care set out in "National standards for under 8s day care and childminding".
	(26) Ofsted's Early Years Directorate counts, records and publishes data by financial year, 1 April to 31 March, and not by calendar year.
	(27) Total for child minding and day care (see note 1).
	(28) Statutory powers to suspend providers came into force 1 April 2003.

Cycling

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will take steps to encourage cycling among school children.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Education and Skills is one of six Departments overseeing the new expert body, "Cycling England", which has been created to plan the investment of £5 million for each of three years to inspire "more cycling, more safely". "Cycling England's" first annual work plan will be published shortly and I expect it to contain new programmes supporting cycling to school.
	In September 2003 the Government launched the "Travelling to School" action plan to encourage more walking and cycling on the journey to school, by developing travel plans. Schools receive a capital grant on completion of their travel plans, and to date around £35 million has been paid to over 6,000 schools with travel plans. Much of this money has been spent on cycle storage facilities, lockers and other facilities supporting cycling.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of those in receipt of an education maintenance allowance of (a) £30, (b) £20 and (c) £10 are studying in (i) a further education college, (ii) a sixth form college, (iii) a school sixth form, (iv) an independent school and (v) another institution.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 4 July 2005
	This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
	Letter from Rob Wye to Annette Brooke, dated 20 July 2005
	I am writing on Mark Haysom's behalf, due to him currently being on annual leave, in response to your Parliamentary Question in which you asked the Secretary of State for Education and Skills "what proportion of those in receipt of an education maintenance allowance of (a) £30, (b) £20 and (c) £10 are studying in (i) a further education college, (ii) a sixth form college, (iii) a school sixth form, (iv) an independent school and (v) another institution."
	Information on students in receipt of education maintenance allowance and broken down by the three defined payment bands of £30, £20 and £10 is set out in the table below. This information is further broken down by institution type using the categories that we have adopted for EMA purposes. We do not hold this information for the institution types that you have specifically requested.
	
		Percentage
		
			  Band 
			 Establishment Type £30 £20 £10 
		
		
			 Academies 88.6 5.0 6.4 
			 City Technology College 74.9 11.3 13.7 
			 Community 74.2 11.9 13.9 
			 Community Special 88.2 6.3 5.5 
			 Foundation 72.6 12.5 15.0 
			 Foundation Special 85.7 6.1 8.2 
			 Further Education 81.0 9.2 9.8 
			 Higher Education Institutes 81.3 8.3 10.4 
			 Independent Approved for SEN pupils 47.0 22.7 30.3 
			 Miscellaneous 69.0 10.3 20.7 
			 Non-Standard Institute 85.0 6.7 8.3 
			 Non Maintained Special 56.5 18.6 24.8 
			 Other Independent 75.2 12.9 12.0 
			 Other Independent Special 94.7 2.6 2.6 
			 Pupil Referral Unit 94.1 5.9 0.0 
			 Secure Units 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Sixth Form Centres 80.0 8.5 11.6 
			 Voluntary Aided 74.3 11.8 13.9 
			 Voluntary Controlled 69.2 13.8 16.9 
		
	
	I hope this information is helpful and addresses your question. If you would like further details please contact Clare Worsdale at the LSC National Office on 0114 207 4546 or Clare.Worsdale@lsc.gov.uk

Extended Schools Initiative

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance her Department plans to provide to (a) schools and (b) local authorities to help them identify voluntary sector partners as part of the extended schools initiative; and if she will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The DfES recognises the significant role of voluntary sector and community organisations in supporting schools and local authorities (LAs) to deliver extended services. They will be key to the successful delivery of extended services and local authorities and schools will need to draw on their provision and expertise. Initial guidance for schools and LAs on partnership working with voluntary sector providers is available through the Extended Schools prospectus, launched on 13 June 2005. Also a "Know How" leaflet entitled, "Involving and Working with the Voluntary and Community Sectors", available through the Extended Schools website (www.teachernet.gov.uk/extendedschools), offers practical guidance and information on partnership working, engaging with voluntary and community organisations and useful contacts.
	The NRT (National Remodelling Team) and ContinYou will be supporting local authorities in developing their extended services and in doing so will support them in brokering partnerships with the voluntary sector.
	There are many voluntary and community sector organisations that schools will know through their existing contacts and other partnership working, such as through Education Improvement Partnerships (formerly know as Foundation Partnerships). Local authorities, through established contacts, can provide advice about wider groups, agencies and services and neighbourhood—level initiatives that are willing to working in partnership to develop extended services.

Finnish Education System

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make an assessment of the effect on the Finnish education system on the teaching of social behaviour and willingness to learn in early years education; and if she will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: We are keen to learn from the experiences of other countries in developing policy and programmes and make regular assessments of what is happening in key comparator countries such as Finland. The Department has carefully assessed the OFSTED study "The education of six year olds in England, Denmark and Finland" and the OECD review of Early Childhood and Early Care (ECEC) which includes Finland. We have learnt from these international studies and the Department's own Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) study that supporting children's early personal, social and emotional development and helping children to develop a positive attitude to learning in a holistic approach is crucial to future success.
	The Department is taking forward a significant programme of work to support children's holistic development in all early years settings. The widely welcomed Birth to Three Matters and Foundation Stage set out the key principles that enable children to develop the key skills and positive attitude needed for all future learning. As we set out in our Childcare Bill Consultation we will be developing the Early Learning Development and Learning Framework that will ensure that young children are able to access the same high quality experience regardless of the type of setting they attend. The Framework will support practitioners in creating stimulating, inclusive, caring and learning environments so that all children have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Fostered Children

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what proportion of children in foster care who achieved no GCSE grades A* to C in 2004 had three or more placements in the previous two years;
	(2)  what proportion of children in foster care who achieved five or more GCSE grades A* to C in 2004 had three or more placements in the previous two years.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the educational attainment of looked after children is not collected centrally by type or number of placements. However, information on the GCSE grades of all children who have been looked after for 12 months or more may be found in Table C of "Outcome Indicators for Looked-after Children, 12 months to 30 September 2004—England" which is available on the internet at: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgatewav/DB/VOL/v000580/Vol03–2005.pdf

Green/White Papers

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) Green and (b) White papers her Department has produced since 1997; and if she will list these in date order.

Maria Eagle: The following list shows the Green and White papers produced between 1997 and 2001.
	A list of all Command Papers produced by Departments from 10 May 2001 to the end of June 2005, prepared by the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) has been placed in the Library. This list, by Department, details the Command Paper number, title and date of publication.
	A list of Command Papers from 2001 onwards is also available on the OPSI website at www.opsi.gov.uk with links to the Command Papers where known. The list can be viewed alphabetically by Department as well as numerically.
	Green Papers (consultative and discussion documents):
	1997
	Excellence for all children: meeting special educational needs
	Connecting the learning society: National Grid for Learning. Consultation paper. DfEE, October 1997. ISBN: 0 85522 645 5.
	Framework for the organisation of schools: technical consultation. DfEE, August 1997.
	Guaranteeing standards: a consultation of the structure of awarding bodies. A summary report. DfEE, July 1997.
	Millennium Volunteers a consultation document for citizens service. Consultation document DfEE, October 1997. ISBN: 0 85522 659 5.
	Qualifying for success: a consultation paper on the future of post-16 qualifications. DfEE, October 1997.
	Target setting and benchmarking in schools. Consultation paper. DfEE, September 1997.
	Targets for our future: a consultation document. DfEE, December, 1997.
	Teaching: high status, high standards: General Teaching Council—a consultation document. DfEE, September 1997.
	1998
	The learning age: a renaissance for a new Britain
	Teachers: meeting the challenge of change
	Meeting the childcare challenge: a framework and consultation document.
	Accountability in further education: a consultation paper. DfEE, March 1998.
	Advantage: consultation on a code of practice for age diversity in employment. DfEE, November 1998. ISBN: 0 85522 919 5.
	Code of practice on LEA-school relations: Draft guidance. DfEE, March 1998.
	Duties of trade organisations to their disabled members and applicants: Consultation on proposals for a Code of Practice. Consultation package. DfEE, July 1998.
	Education Development Plans: Local Education Authorities plans to promote improved standards of pupil performance. DfEE, February 1998.
	Employment Zones Consultation Paper. DfEE, February 1998.
	Fair funding: improving delegation to schools. Consultation document. DfEE, May 1998.
	Homework: guidelines for primary schools. Draft for consultation. DfEE, April 1998.
	Homework: guidelines for secondary schools. Draft for consultation. DfEE, April 1998.
	Improving access to information about post-16 learning opportunities. Consultation Document. DfEE, May 1998.
	Induction for new teachers. Consultation Document. DfEE, April 1998. ISBN: 0 85522 7702.
	Ingredients for success: a consultation paper on nutritional standards for school lunches. DfEE, October 1998. ISBN: 0 85522 884 9.
	Learning and working together for the future: a consultation document. DfEE, October 1998. ISBN: 085522 629 3.
	New requirements to make good facilities and services more accessible to disabled people. Consultations on a code of practice and regulations. DfEE, July 1998.
	Parent governor representatives on Education Committees: Consultation paper. DfEE, April 1998 and on website.
	Schools capital strategy. Consultation paper. DfEE, February 1998.
	Teaching: high status, high standards: the composition of the General Teaching Council. Consultation document. DfEE, April 1998.
	TECS: meeting the millennium challenge. DfEE, July.
	1999
	Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant. Consultation paper. DfEE, June 1999.
	Excellence in cities. DfEE, 1999.
	Learning to succeed: school sixth form funding. Consultation paper. DfEE, 1999.
	2001
	Schools building on success : raising standards, promoting diversity, achieving results
	
		White Papers (policy documents)
		
			  Document Command paper 
		
		
			 1997 Excellence in schools Cm 3681 
			 1998 Promoting disabled people's rights: creating a Disability Rights Commission fit for the 21st century Cm 3977 
			 1999 Learning to succeed: a new framework for post-16 learning Cm 4392 
			 2001 Opportunity for all in a world of change Cm 5052 
			 — Schools achieving success Cm 5230

Higher Education

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many UK-domiciled higher education qualifiers at (a) first degree and (b) postgraduate degree level there were in each year between 1994 and 2004.

Bill Rammell: The latest information is shown in the following table:
	
		UK domiciled students obtaining higher education qualifications English HE institutions 1994/95 to 2003/04
		
			  Qualification obtained 
			  Postgraduate First Degree 
		
		
			 1994/95 59,055 181,215 
			 1995/96 67,320 189,425 
			 1996/97 70,515 190,795 
			 1997/98 70,660 189,505 
			 1998/99 71,930 193,070 
			 1999/00 74,795 194,045 
			 2000/01 90,135 199,550 
			 2001/02 93,280 201,215 
			 2002/03 96,060 206,350 
			 2003/04 103,105 212,575 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of pupils in (a) Southend, (b) the Metropolitan Police area of London and (c) Hertfordshire went on to higher education from (i) maintained school sixth forms, (ii) sixth form colleges, (iii) further education colleges and (iv) special schools in the last year for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: Figures on participation by local areas were published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in January in "Young Participation in England", which is available from their website at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_037. Participation rates for local education authorities based on this work (including those within the Metropolitan Police area), showing figures for the years up to 2000, are given on the supporting POLAR website (www.hefce.ac.uk/polar). However, the figures are not dis-aggregated by type of school attended.
	The Department uses the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) to assess progress on increasing first-time participation of English students aged 18–30 in higher education towards 50 per cent.: the latest provisional figure for 2003/04 is 43 per cent. The HEIPR is not calculated at local area level.

Looked-after Children

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of looked-after children (a) under the age of two, (b) aged two to five, (c) aged six to 10 and (d) aged ten or above experienced three or more changes of placement in (i) 2000, (ii) 2001, (iii) 2002, (iv) 2003 and (v) 2004.

Beverley Hughes: The information requested is provided in the following tables:
	
		Children looked after at 31 March 2000 to 2004, with three or more placements during the year(29)(30)(31): England Number
		
			 Age at 31 March 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 All children 11,600 9,600 9,100 9,000 7,900 
			 Under 2 1,200 790 810 720 640 
			 2–5 1,800 1,300 1,200 1,200 880 
			 6–10 2,400 1,800 1,600 1,500 1,200 
			 Over 10 6,200 5,700 5,600 5,600 5,200 
		
	
	(29) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements.
	(30) Figures taken from the SSDA 903 return.
	(31) Figures over 1,000 are rounded to nearest 100. All other figures are rounded to the nearest 10
	
		Children looked after at 31 March 2000 to 2004, with three or more placements during the year as a proportion of each age group for all looked after children1, 2, 3: England Percentage
		
			 Age at 31 March 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 All children 20 16 15 15 13 
			 Under 2 25 17 16 14 12 
			 2–5 19 14 13 13 10 
			 6–10 17 13 11 11 9 
			 Over 10 21 19 17 17 16 
		
	
	(32) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements.
	(33) Figures taken from the SSDA 903 return.
	(34) Figures over 1,000 are rounded to nearest 100. All other figures are rounded to the nearest 10

Mathematics

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students commenced undergraduate courses in (a) mathematics and (b) mathematics combined with another subject in English universities in each of the last 30 years.

Bill Rammell: The available information, covering institutions in Great Britain, is shown in the tables. Changes in the classification of subjects and in the coverage of institutions mean it is not possible to produce a consistent time series for the whole of this period. A corresponding time series for institutions in England is not available centrally.
	
		Entrants to full-time undergraduate mathematics and mathematics/physics courses Universities(42) in Great Britain1973/74 to 1984/85
		
			 Academic year Entrants 
		
		
			 1973/74 3,660 
			 1974/75 3,645 
			 1975/76 3,485 
			 1976/77 3,655 
			 1977/78 3,900 
			 1978/79 4,185 
			 1979/80 4,445 
			 1980/81 5,020 
			 1981/82 5,175 
			 1982/83 5,105 
			 1983/84 5,035 
			 1984/85 5,130 
		
	
	(42) Former UFC-funded universities
	Source: Universities Statistical Record (USR). Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5.
	
		Entrants to full-time undergraduate mathematical science(43) courses Universities(44) in Great Britain 1985/86 to 1993/94
		
			 Academic year Entrants 
		
		
			 1985/86 3,350 
			 1986/87 3,150 
			 1987/88 3,415 
			 1988/89 3,745 
			 1989/90 4,155 
			 1990/91 4,020 
			 1991/92 4,115 
			 1992/93 4,085 
			 1993/94 4,525 
		
	
	(43) Mathematics, statistics and combined mathematical sciences. The subject classification of higher education courses was totally revised for the 1985/86 academic year.
	(44) Former UFC-funded universities.
	Source: Universities Statistical Record (USR). Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5.
	
		Entrants to full-time undergraduate mathematical sciences(45) courses HE institutions(46) in Great Britain
		
			 Academic year Entrants 
		
		
			 1994/95 5,650 
			 1995/96 5,190 
			 1996/97 5,615 
			 1997/98 5,930 
			 1998/99 5,255 
			 1999/2000 5,410 
			 2000/01 5,425 
			 2001/02 5,700 
			 2002/03(47) 6,505 
			 2003/04 6,700 
		
	
	(45) Covers mathematics, statistics and combined mathematical sciences.
	(46) Covers former UFC-funded universities, post-1992 universities, and HE colleges.
	(47) In 2002/03, changes were made to the method used to allocate students to subjects of study. The main effect of this was to increase the number of students allocated to individual named subjects and to decrease those who were allocated to the "combined course" category. This means that figures for 2002/03 and 2003/04 are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5.

Media Literacy

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether her Department has strategies for improving media literacy in (a) school education, (b) further and higher education and (c) adult education; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: There is a range of activity across the Department to support aspects of media literacy. It does not exist as a separate subject in the national curriculum but, as part of a wide ranging and comprehensive English curriculum, pupils should study the language of media to develop their critical faculties. Media literacy can also be part of the approach to teaching and learning in any subject and has particular relevance in History and Citizenship.
	The Department's e-Strategy "Harnessing Technology: Transforming Learning and Children's Services," supports the use of ICT, e-learning, Virtual Learning Environments, the internet, gaming, videoconferencing, the use of web cams and digital photography. The system-wide priorities and sector specific actions in this strategy will help provide the infrastructure to support media literacy. A copy of the strategy can be accessed at: www.dfes.gsi.gov.uk/publications/e-strategy
	Programmes of study in higher education are a matter for individual institutions to determine and develop.
	Under the Communications Act 2003 OFCOM (the independent regulator for the UK communications industries) has a statutory duty to promote better media literacy. As part of this activity OFCOM has been working with the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) and its partners, including the Department, in Adult Learners' Week during May 2005, in which the promotion of media literacy was a central theme.
	We will be seeking to work closely with DCMS and OFCOM to ensure that media literacy gains the appropriate focus in education.

Nursery Places

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many (a) three and (b) four-year-old children in Southend West attended nursery in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many children in Southend West have taken up free nursery places in each year since the policy was introduced; and if she will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: All four-year-olds have been entitled to a free early education place since 1998 and from April 2004 this entitlement was extended to all three-year-olds. The free entitlement consists of a minimum of five two and a half hour sessions per week for 33 weeks of the year for six terms before statutory school age, which is the term following their fifth birthday.
	Some local authorities may additionally offer subsidised child care places but this information is not collected centrally.
	The latest provisional figures for January 2005 show that all four-year-old children receive some form of free entitlement. The figure for three-years-olds is 98 per cent. This covers all maintained, private, voluntary and independent providers and represents an estimated 546,400 three-year-olds and 573,500 four-year-olds.
	Related information on the number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Southend West parliamentary constituency area is only available for January 2004. These figures are shown in the table. The available information for Southend-on-Sea local education authority area since 1997 is also shown.
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 18/2005 "Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2005 (provisional)" in May, which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgatewav/.
	
		Number of free nursery education places(48) taken up by three and four-year-olds Southend-on-Sea local education authority area.Position in January each year
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			  Maintained nursery and primary schools(49) Other maintained and private, voluntary and maintained independent providers Total 3-year-olds Maintained nursery and primary schools(50) Other maintained and private, voluntary and maintained independent providers Total 4-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 210 (51)— 210 (51)— (51)— (52)1,900 
			 1998 250 (51)— 250 (51)— (51)— (52)2,100 
			 1999 390 (51)— 390 (51)— (51)— (52)2,200 
			 2000 450 (53)0 450 (51)— (51)— (52)2,100 
			 2001 450 (53)440 890 (51)— (51)— (52)2,100 
			 2002 490 (53)750 1,200 1,600 (52)450 2,000 
			 2003 450 (53)870 1,300 1,600 (54)480 2,100 
			 2004 450 (55)1,100 1,600 1,500 (56)520 2,000 
		
	
	(48) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.
	(49) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(50) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(51) Not available
	(52) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(53) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(54) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census supplementary data collection exercise and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(55) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(56) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	
		Number of free nursery education places(57)taken up by three and four-year-olds Southend West parliamentary constituency Position in January 2004
		
			  
		
		
			 3-year-olds  
			 Maintained nursery and primary schools(58) 150 
			 Other maintained and private, voluntary and maintained independent providers(59) 500 
			 Total three-year-olds 840 
			   
			 4-year-olds  
			 Maintained nursery and primary schools(60) 690 
			 Other maintained and private, voluntary and maintained independent providers(61) 290 
			 Total 4-year-olds 960 
		
	
	(57) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.
	(58) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(59) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools1 Census.
	(60) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools1 Census.
	(61) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	Changes in pupil figures may arise from changes to the underlying population in the local education authority area and other factors. However, my Department doesn't publish population figures for individual age cohorts at sub-national level because of the unreliability of the underlying population estimates. The Office for National Statistics publish sub-national population estimates in five-year age bands.

Overseas Students

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students from (a) China and (b) India took courses in (i) science and (ii) engineering at higher education institutions in England at (A) undergraduate and (B) postgraduate level in each year between 1994 and 2004.

Bill Rammell: The latest information is given in the following table:
	
		Students(62) from China(63) and India, enrolled on Science and Engineering courses(64) English HE institutions 1994/95 to 2003/04
		
			  Postgraduate Undergraduate 
			  Science(65) Engineering Science(65) Engineering 
		
		
			 1994/95 
			 China 235 415 — 110 
			 India 95 115 15 95 
			  
			 1995/96 
			 China 240 470 5 135 
			 India 105 160 20 110 
			  
			 1996/97 
			 China 215 480 10 60 
			 India 115 150 10 145 
			  
			 1997/98 
			 China 155 440 10 50 
			 India 105 140 15 190 
			  
			 1998/99 
			 China 150 460 25 90 
			 India 130 150 20 245 
			  
			 1999/2000 
			 China 165 505 30 245 
			 India 125 195 25 210 
			  
			 2000/01 
			 China 205 670 115 580 
			 India 145 230 40 250 
			  
			 2001/02 
			 China 245 915 240 885 
			 India 230 380 50 325 
			  
			 2002/03 
			 China 370 1,510 415 1,425 
			 India 390 1,380 85 415 
			  
			 2003/04 
			 China 570 2,495 705 1,605 
			 India 535 1,820 105 525 
		
	
	(62) Based on a count of students as at 1 December each year.
	(63) Excluding students from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
	(64) In 2002/03, changes were made to the method used to allocate students to subjects of study. The main effect of this was to increase the number of students allocated to individual named subjects and to decrease those who were allocated to the "Combined Course" category. This means that figures for 2002/03 and 2003/04 are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.
	4. Science includes Biological and Physical Sciences.
	Note:
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source:
	Higher Education statistics Agency (HESA).

Policy Costings

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what costings of (a) Liberal Democrat and (b) Conservative party policies her Department has (i) undertaken, (ii) co-ordinated in the previous 12 months and (iii) advised upon in the previous 12 months.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 18 July 2005, Official Report, column 1334W.

Public Sector Education Provision

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the effect of the EU Directive on Services in the Internal Market on public sector provision of (a) primary, (b) secondary, (c) further and (d) higher education.

Beverley Hughes: I refer to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Trade on 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 1930W.

School Leavers

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people left school at 16 years in (a) Southend, (b) Essex and (c) England with no qualifications in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The table gives the number of 15-year-olds with no passes in GCSE qualifications and the proportion of the 15-year-old cohort for Southend LEA, Essex LEA and England between 1998 and 2004.
	
		
			  England Essex LEA Southend LEA 
			  Number of 15-year-olds with no passes Percentage of 15-year-old cohort Number of 15-year-olds with no passes Percentage of 15-year-old cohort Number of 15-year-olds with no passes Percentage of 15-year old cohort 
		
		
			 2004 26,624 4.1 553 3.4 103 5.0 
			 2003 32,518 5.2 652 4.2 113 5.7 
			 2002 32,624 5.4 664 4.4 145 7.3 
			 2001 32,939 5.5 621 4.2 93 5.0 
			 2000 32,691 5.6 596 4.1 93 5.4 
			 1999 35,036 6.0 617 4.3 101 5.9 
			 1998 37,868 6.6 674 4.7 160 9.2 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures for 2004 are for GCSE and Equivalent qualifications. Figures for 1998 to 2003 are for GCSE and GNVQs only.
	2. LEA figures only include pupils at maintained schools. England figures include all pupils.
	3. Local government reorganisation took place on the 1 April 1998 and there are therefore no comparable figures for Essex and Southend prior to 1998.
	4. Ages are taken at the start of the academic year (i.e. 31 August).

School Leavers

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people left school at 16 years in (a) Southend, (b) Essex and (c) England with no qualifications, but subsequently gained qualifications by attending sixth form or higher education, in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: PSA targets for attainment by age 16 and 19 are based around young people reaching level 2 (5 GCSEs A* to C or equivalent). Provisional matched administrative data shows that 49.2 per cent. of 19-year-olds in 2004 in England had attained at least level 2 by age 16 increasing to 67.0 per cent. by age 19. This equates to around 110,000 additional learners attaining at least level 2 between age 16 and 19. Around 3,000 of these additional learners achieved in the Essex Learning and Skills Council (LSC) area. Figures are currently not available for respondents with no qualifications or below local LSC area. This is the first year for which we have matched data to age 19, hence time series data are not available.

Social Care

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations she has received regarding the provision of day care in East Sussex; and if she will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Department's Correspondence Handling System currently only holds electronic records dating back to January 2003, in line with our records and retention schedule which has been agreed with the National Archive. Since then the Department has received and responded to 1,921 official correspondence cases relating to East Sussex. Of these only one appears to relate to the provision of day care. This case specifically concerned the closure of a nursery in Langley in May 2005. Further information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department has consulted nationally on the recent Government 10-year child care strategy "Choice for Parents, the best start for children" which was launched in December 2004. This confirmed that legislation will be in place by 2008 to impose a new duty on local authorities to secure sufficient supply of child care in their areas to meet the needs of families.

School Exclusions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children were (a) suspended for a time and (b) permanently expelled from a school in Essex in each of the past five years, broken down by local authority.

Beverley Hughes: Data on fixed period exclusions (suspensions) was collected for the first time in summer 2003 and so is not available prior to 2003–04.
	The information requested on permanent exclusions and on fixed period exclusions for 2003–04 is shown in the table:
	
		Maintained primary secondary and special schools(81). Number of permanent and fixed period exclusions 1997–98 to 2003–4
		
			  Essex Southend Thurrock 
			  Number of permanent exclusions(82) Number of Pupils with one or more episodes of fixed period exclusion(83) Number of permanent exclusions(82) Number of Pupils with one or more episodes of fixed period exclusion(83) Number of permanent exclusions(82) Number of Pupils with one or more episodes of fixed period exclusion(83) 
		
		
			 1999–2000 180 — 30 — 40 — 
			 2000–01 200 — 30 — 50 — 
			 2001–02 210 — 30 — 40 — 
			 2002–03 170 — 30 — 30 — 
			 2003–04 180 5,910 30 630 10 820 
		
	
	(81) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(82) Source: Annual Schools Census.
	(83) Source: Termly Exclusions Survey.
	Note:
	Data has been rounded to the nearest 10.

University Entrants

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of school-leavers in (a) England, (b) Teesside and (c) the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency went to university in the last period for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The latest available figures on participation by constituency were published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in January in "Young Participation in England", which is available from their website at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_03/. Participation rates for constituencies based on this work, showing figures for the years up to 2000, are given on the supporting POLAR website (www.hefce.ac.uk/polar).
	The Department uses the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) to assess progress on increasing first-time participation of English students aged 18–30 in higher education towards 50 per cent.: the latest provisional figure for 2003/04 is 43 per cent. The HEIPR is not calculated at constituency level.

Wales White Paper

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how she intends to implement Paragraph 3.12 of the White Paper, "Better Government for Wales" (Cm 6582), in respect of any bill she introduces in the current session of Parliament.

Jacqui Smith: I intend to implement the Government's policy as stated in paragraph 3.12 of the White Paper "Better Governance for Wales" Cm 6582. My Department is in discussion with the Assembly Government on the issues concerned.

Economic Cycle

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he consulted the financial and business communities before announcing the revision to the start date for the economic cycle to the Treasury Select Committee on 19 July; and when the decision was made to change the start date for the economic cycle.

John Healey: As the Chancellor stated at the Treasury Select Committee on 19 July 2001
	"Following the significant updating by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) on 30 June to GDP, it is right to update what has been a provisional judgement that the current economic cycle started in 1999–2000".
	Analysis of evidence relevant to the dating of the cycle is set out in the paper "Evidence on the UK economic cycle" published by the Treasury on 19 July.

European Parliament (Regulatory Costs)

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate has been made of the regulatory costs that may be incurred as a consequence of the implementation of the European Commission's proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and the Council on the law applicable to non-contractual obligations (COM 2003 427 final (22.7.2003)).

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Constitutional Affairs has carried out a preliminary assessment of the regulatory costs of the draft regulation (referred to as "Rome II'). This assessment indicates that the Regulation is unlikely to create significant regulatory costs but much will depend on its final form.

Pound Sterling

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average value of the pound sterling against the United States Dollar has been in each month since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. David Amess, dated 5 September 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning what the average value of the pound sterling against the United States Dollar has been in each month since 1997. (14289)
	Average rates against sterling figures for the United States Dollar are published in table 7.1A of "Financial Statistics" (ONS Publication), published by Palgrave Macmillan, and available via the House of Commons Library. Long run historic data is available on the ONS Website at:
	http://nswebcopy/statbase/tsdtablesl.asp?vlnk=fsf

Tax Credits

John Hemming: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what formula is used for calculating the rate at which tax credit overpayments are recovered from recipients; how many and what proportion of recipients making repayments are doing so using direct debit; and what proportion of overpayments were recovered by direct debit on the latest date for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to HMRC's Code of Practice 26, "What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?", a copy of which is in the Library. HMRC have set up 59,718 direct debit arrangements since December 2004. The rest of the information requested is not available.

Tax Credits

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints about tax credit awards his Department has received in each month since April 2003.

Dawn Primarolo: Claimants can contact HM Revenue and Customs to appeal if they think that their tax credits award is wrong. The Department will seek to agree the amount of the award with the claimant and make the correct payment. Information concerning appeals can be found in the HMRC leaflet WTC/AP "How to appeal against a tax credits decision or award" which is available on the internet at—http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/wtc_ap.pdf.
	The number of appeals recorded against tax credits decisions in each month since April 2003 is as follows:
	
		2003–04
		
			 Month Number of appeals received (Great Britain) 
		
		
			 April 2003 1,275 
			 May 2003 3,555 
			 June 2003 3,900 
			 July 2003 3,830 
			 August 2003 2,665 
			 September 2003 3,225 
			 October 2003 3,730 
			 November 2003 2,490 
			 December 2003 2,320 
			 January 2004 2,145 
			 February 2004 2,030 
			 March 2004 2,120 
		
	
	Note:
	Rounded to the nearest 5 cases.
	In 2003–04 a further 370 appeals were recorded by Tax Credit Office in Northern Ireland (NI). A monthly breakdown of this figure is not available.
	
		2004 to June 2005 (including NI)
		
			 Month Number of appeals received (UK) 
		
		
			 April 2004 2,720 
			 May 2004 2,380 
			 June 2004 3,910 
			 July 2004 6,100 
			 August 2004 3,395 
			 September 2004 2,950 
			 October 2004 2,210 
			 November 2004 3,390 
			 December 2004 5,065 
			 January 2005 3,560 
			 February 2005 3,170 
			 March 2005 5,225 
			 April 2005 4,375 
			 May 2005 3,830 
			 June 2005 2,610 
		
	
	Note:
	Rounded to the nearest 5 cases.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the oral statement of 12 July 2005, Official Report, column 722, on tax credits, how many tax credit overpayments for 2003–04 were the result of (a) rises in income from (i) £2,500 to £2,999, (ii) £3,000 to £3,999, (iii) £4,000 to £4,999, (iv) £5,000 to £5,999, (v) £6,000 to £6,999, (vi) £7,000 to £7,999, (vii) £8,000 to £8,999, (viii) £9,000 to £9,999, (ix) over £10,000, (b) changes in circumstances and (c) official error.

Dawn Primarolo: Reductions in tax credits awards can result from a combination of changes in circumstances and incomes, which can also be reported at different times. It is not always possible to say whether any particular change caused or contributed to an eventual overpayment.
	On (a) to (i), Table 6 of "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised awards 2003–04. Supplement on payments in 2003–04" analyses by income bands the 1,879 thousand awards where payments in 2003–04, as recorded on the computer record for each case, exceeded the finalised entitlement for 2003–04 by more than £10. This publication can be found at www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm. The following table shows the number in each specified band of rise in income where this is at least £2,500.
	
		Overpaid 2003–04 awards where the increase in income between 2001–02 and 2003–04 exceeded £2,500
		
			  Increase in family's income between 2001–02 and 2003–04 Number of awards overpaid at 5 April 2004, based on finalised incomes(86) (Thousand) 
		
		
			 (a) 2,500 to 2,999 77 
			 (b) 3,000 to 3,999 144 
			 (c) 4,000 to 4,999 119 
			 (d) 5,000 to 5,999 96 
			 (e) 6,000 to 6,999 79 
			 (f) 7,000 to 7,999 67 
			 (g) 8,000 to 8,999 59 
			 (h) 9,000 to 9,999 49 
			 (i) 10,000 and over 313 
			 Total 2,500 and over 1,003 
		
	
	(86) Excluding awards with overpayments under £10. See the note in the publication referred to.
	On (j) , it is not possible to establish how many overpaid cases experienced a change in circumstance reducing the value of their 2003–04 award, except at disproportionate cost.
	On (k) , no complete analysis exists of official error causing or contributing to overpayments.

Tax Credits

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have had their tax credit payments suspended due to overpayments in each year since the tax credit system was introduced in (a) each county in England and Wales and (b) Wellingborough constituency.

Dawn Primarolo: Overpayments of tax credits are not identified until final incomes and family circumstances for the year are reported. Details of how overpayments are recovered are provided in the Department's Code of Practice 26 "What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?", which is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/cop26.htm.
	Information on the number of families whose awards were reduced to zero is only available at disproportionate costs.
	Tax credit awards can also be adjusted during the year to take account of a change in circumstances or income. Where this leads to a change in entitlement, payments will be adjusted with the aim of paying out the right amount for the year as whole. This is also explained in the Code of Practice 26 "What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?" This is part of the normal operation of the tax credit system and no count of such occurrences is maintained.

Tax Credits

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many working tax credit overpayments there were in each parliamentary constituency in each of the last two years; and what the total value was of overpayments in each year;
	(2)  what the total value is of overpayments for each tax credit, broken down by region and nation of the UK.

Dawn Primarolo: The number and value of 2003–04 tax credit awards that were underpaid and overpaid after finalisation, by region, parliamentary constituency and local authority can be found in the publication "Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Finalised Awards 2003–04. Supplement on Payments in 2003–04. Geographical Analyses". This is available on the HMRC website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm.
	Estimates of numbers and value of overpayments or underpayments for 2004–05 awards will not be available until after final incomes and family circumstances for 2004–05 have been reported.

Environmental Costs

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of the effects of the average (a) lorry and (b) motor vehicle on (i) the environment and (ii) the road network.

Stephen Ladyman: Estimates of the environmental and infrastructure costs imposed by lorries and cars can be found in tables 7.2 to 7.5 of "Surface Transport Costs and Charges: Great Britain 1998" Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, July 2001. The research was commissioned by the then Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and a copy can be found in the Library.

Equality and Diversity

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Department has spent promoting equality and diversity in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Karen Buck: The Department for Transport is fully committed to the equality and diversity agenda and has policies and processes in place to ensure that there is no unfair discrimination on any grounds.
	The Department was formed in May 2002 and has specifically promoted the equality and diversity agenda and has spent:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Outturn 
		
		
			 2002–03 494,551.97 
			 2003–04 560,889.73 
			 2004–05 704,663.05 
		
	
	The Department for Transport employs a team of 16 staff who specifically work on diversity and equality issues.
	In 2004–05, £39,000.00 was spent running diversity and equality seminars and on related issues such as achieving a better work/life balance, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation; religion and or belief and harassment and bullying.
	We consistently support participants on corporate diversity programmes such as Pathways (£15,000.00 over two years), the disability bursary scheme (£20,000.00 per year in 2003–04 and 2004–05) and the undergraduate summer placement scheme (£60,028.14 from 2002 to 2005).
	We funded diversity and equality-related training courses for all staff including harassment contact officer.
	We ensure that advertisements for external recruitment campaigns appear in all sections of the media. In 2000–01 we were involved in the Diversity UK exhibition (£3,619.00). In 2003–04 our vacancies were advertised in the Disability View magazine at a cost of £795.00.
	Our policies and practices for all staff are general equality proofed in-house. However, to ensure that we are complying with the Cabinet Office PSA targets it was necessary to employ consultants to equality proof the Bands 4, Bands 6 and Senior Civil Service Assessment processes at a cost of £4,523.50.
	External consultants have been used for the positive action Green Light development programme aimed at minority ethnic staff across the Department.

Railways

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) cost, (b) feasibility and (c) effects of re-doubling the rail line between Kemble and Swindon; and what discussions he has had with (i) the Strategic Rail Authority, (ii) Network Rail and (iii) the bidders for the relevant franchise on this issue.

Derek Twigg: SRA made an assessment of the demand for rail travel on the Swindon-Gloucester corridor as part of its recently-published Great Western Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS), and concluded that the infrastructure was adequate to support the forecast demand for the duration of the RUS period (to 2012).
	The issue will next be reassessed, by Network Rail, when signalling renewals for the route become due.
	Bidders for the Greater Western franchise are not required to provide prices for any infrastructure schemes.

Grievance Procedures

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the (a) First Division Association and (b) each of the other representative bodies of his Department's staff were consulted about the last substantive revision of the Department's grievance procedure; and what representations were made by each representative body.

Jack Straw: The First Division Association and the two other trade unions recognised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), were fully consulted during the drafting and review process of the Department's grievance procedure via the Trade Union Secretariat, in August 2004 prior to its implementation.
	When it was introduced, FCO Management agreed with the Trade Union Side to review the new procedure after six months and have offered to meet them for this purpose.
	The views of all the constituent unions were collated by the Trade Union Secretariat during the review process. Those views included concerns about the handling of grievances by line managers and the provision of relevant training for those managers. These concerns were largely addressed at the time the updated procedure was implemented.

Intelligence Service

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many complaints have been made to the relevant Tribunal or Commissioner in relation to the actions of the Intelligence Service since the enactment of the Intelligence Service Acts and Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000; and how many complainants had their complaint upheld in each year.

Jack Straw: The number of complaints received by the Tribunal/Commissioner under section 9 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994 were as follows:
	
		
			 Date Number of complaints (Secret Intelligence Service and General Communications Headquarters) Of which, complaints referred to Commissioner in respect of property 
		
		
			 1995 21 5 
			 1996 3 3 
			 1997 6 4 
			 1998 7 5 
			 1999 5 3 
			 January to September 2000 7 3 
		
	
	On no occasion did the Tribunal/Commissioner uphold any complaint.
	The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), established under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), came into being on 2 October 2000. From that date the IPT assumed responsibility for the jurisdiction previously held by, among others, the Intelligence Service Tribunal. As the Intelligence Services Commissioner explains in his 2000 and subsequent annual reports to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, "complaints to the IPT cannot easily be "categorised" under the three Tribunal system that existed prior to RIPA. Consequently, I am unable to detail those complaints that relate solely to the actions of the intelligence services. I can only provide information on the total number of complaints made to the Tribunal."
	The total number of complaints received by the IPT are as follows:
	
		
			 Date Number of complaints 
		
		
			 2000 (87)11 
			 2001 91 
			 2002 130 
			 2003 109 
			 2004 (*1) 
		
	
	(87) October to December.
	(1) Figures to be published shortly in the Commissioner's Annual 2004 Report.
	On no occasion has the IPT concluded that there has been a contravention of RIP A or the Human Rights Act 1989. Consequently no complaints have been upheld.

Management Consultancies

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which five management consultancies received the highest value of contracts awarded by his Department in each of the last three years; and what the total value was of the contracts awarded to each.

Jack Straw: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 18 July 2005, Official Report, column 1372W. Expenditure specifically on "management" consultancy is not categorised separately from that for external consultancy as a whole.
	However, the following details of our expenditure with our main suppliers of external consultancy in general over the period in question may be helpful:
	
		
			£ 
			 Company 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Fugitsu 5,386,000 561,000 3,241,000 
			 ATOS/KPMG 2,156,000 4,086,000 2,805,000 
			 Logica UK 3,425,000 1,937,000 843,000 
			 Parity Resources 1,474,000 1,848,000 0 
			 PA Consulting 1,079,000 1,255,000 590,000 
			 Cedar Enterprise Solutions 1,177,000 771,000 0 
			 WS Atkins 1,132,000 703,000 0

Media Relations

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Department has spent on external media relations in each month of the last year.

Ian Pearson: In the financial year 2004–05, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spent £543,160 on external media relations. Of this total consular directorate spent £458,160: £425,160 in June 2004 for the "Know Before You Go" consular campaign and £33,000 in March 2005 for work on the forced marriage publicity campaign. EU Directorate paid £12,500 each month from October 2004 to March 2005 and £10,000 to the Central Office of Information in March 2005 for managing external media relations in connection with the UK's presidency of the EU. In total EU Directorate paid £85,000.
	The FCO's overseas posts and its non-departmental public bodies also incur costs on external media consultants. Information about these could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Philippines

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political situation in the Philippines.

Ian Pearson: We are aware of the rapidly-changing situation in the Philippines, and monitor it closely. The current domestic political situation is an internal matter for the Philippines to resolve, in accordance with its constitutional provisions.

United Nations

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve the governance of the United Nations..

Ian Pearson: pursuant to the reply, 21 July 2005, Official Report, c. 2107W
	I regret that the answer of 21 July contained an error. The correct answer should read as follows:
	In September 2005 the UN Millennium Review Summit will address recommendations on reform of the UN system put forward by the UN Secretary- General in his report "In Larger Freedom: Towards Development, Security and Human Rights for All".
	The Government welcome these proposals and hope to build on them at the summit. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, in his meetings with the UN Secretary-General, has highlighted the importance that the UK attaches to improved governance at the UN.
	The UK has identified four areas of governance where we would like to see specific actions taken:
	Accountability—oversight capacity within the UN must be strengthened, and its independence and authority enhanced.
	Professionalism and modernisation—there must be transparent, competence based recruitment throughout the UN system and the introduction of modern human resources practices.
	Efficiency—activity at the UN should be rationalised, modernised and streamlined to reduce duplication and to focus on priority areas.
	Flexibility—in return for the measures mentioned above, the Secretary-General should be provided with the authority and flexibility to manage resources and to redeploy them according to need.
	In addition, we want to see a Security Council that reflects today's world and the contributions of the UN's members to its objectives. The UK therefore supports the expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent membership.

Working Holidaymakers Scheme

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications have been received under the working holidaymakers scheme since 25 August 2003 from (a) India, (b) Pakistan, (c) Sri Lanka, (d) Nigeria, (e) Ghana, (f) Sierra Leone and (g) Jamaica; and how many of these were (i) refused, (ii) granted and (iii) appealed against.

Kim Howells: The information on applications received under the working holiday makers scheme for the countries requested, is as follows:
	
		
			  1 April 2003 -31 March 2004 
			 Working holiday maker applications Received Refused Granted 
		
		
			 India 7,665 4,106 1,218 
			 Pakistan 14 0 47 
			 Sri Lanka 4,534 3,510 962 
			 Nigeria 120 73 47 
			 Ghana 2,367 712 1,532 
			 Sierra Leone 4 2 1 
			 Jamaica 481 187 301 
		
	
	It is not possible to provide figures for the exact date range requested. The figures supplied represent applications received in the financial year 2003–04. In addition, monthly return statistics for appeals for this period are not available specifically for the working holiday maker category. They are only available for generic categories: non-settlement, settlement and family visit.
	The total number of applications issued and refused may not always equal the total of applications received. This can be caused by a variety of reasons. Applications can be carried forward from one year to another before being resolved. They may be withdrawn during processing, but still count as an application received. In these circumstances, delays can and do occur between the application being received and the decision being taken.
	The statistics provided are publicly available on the UKvisas website, www.ukvisas.gov.uk. UKvisas is the department responsible for entry clearance overseas. Figures for April 2004 to March 2005 are not yet available. When they are, they can be found, along with other entry clearance statistics, on the website at www.ukvisas.gov.uk— "Entry Clearance: Facts and Figures".

Arm's-length Management

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the arm's length management organisations in operation, broken down by date of creation; and what sums have been paid by the Government to date.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested about the arm's length management organisations (ALMOs) which are currently in operation is in the following table:
	
		
			 Local authority Arm's Length Management Organisation Date of s.27 approval(88) ALMO funding to 2004–05 (£ million) 
		
		
			 Ashfield Ashfield Homes March 2002 46.0 
			 Blyth Valley Blyth Valley Housing March 2002 16.3 
			 Derby Derby Homes March 2002 78.3 
			 Hounslow Hounslow Homes March 2002 70.0 
			 Kirklees Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing March 2002 90.4 
			 Oldham First Choice Homes March 2002 36.0 
			 Rochdale Rochdale Boroughwide Housing March 2002 82.2 
			 Stockton Tristar Homes March 2002 63.0 
			 Westminster CityWest Homes March 2002 47.9 
			 Wigan Wigan and Leigh Housing March 2002 97.8 
			 Brent Brent Housing Partnership September 2002 36.7 
			 Salford New Prospect Housing September 2002 0.0 
			 Bolton Bolton at Home October 2002 53.0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation October 2002 21.6 
			 Barnsley Berneslai Homes November 2002 48.2 
			 Leeds Leeds East Homes January 2003 6.5 
			 Leeds Leeds North East Homes January 2003 10.5 
			 Leeds Leeds North West Homes January 2003 8.1 
			 Leeds Leeds South East Homes January 2003 8.4 
			 Leeds Leeds South Homes January 2003 12.9 
			 Leeds Leeds West Homes January 2003 18.3 
			 Carrick Carrick Housing March 2003 7.3 
			 Cheltenham Cheltenham Borough Homes March 2003 10.0 
			 Hillingdon Hillingdon Homes April 2003 16.6 
			 Waltham Forest Ascham Homes April 2003 0.0 
			 Colchester Colchester Borough Homes August 2003 13.5 
			 Gateshead Gateshead Housing Company December 2003 0.0 
			 High Peak High Peak Community Housing(89) January 2004 0.0 
			 Solihull Solihull Community Housing January 2004 1.2 
			 South Lakeland South Lakes Housing(89) January 2004 0.0 
			 Warrington Golden Gates Housing January 2004 4.3 
			 Barnet Barnet Homes February 2004 4.0 
			 Easington East Durham Homes March 2004 0.0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham Hammersmith and Fulham Housing Management Services(89) March 2004 0.0 
			 Islington Homes for Islington March 2004 2.9 
			 Newcastle Your Homes Newcastle March 2004 16.0 
			 Poole Poole Housing Partnership March 2004 1.3 
			 Sheffield Sheffield Homes April 2004 25.2 
			 Ealing Ealing Homes August 2004 0.0 
			 Sandwell Sandwell Homes August 2004 0.0 
			 Bassetlaw A1 Housing Bassetlaw September 2004 0.0 
			 Newark and Sherwood Newark and Sherwood Homes October 2004 0.0 
			 Bury Six Town Housing March 2005 0.0 
			 Eastbourne Eastbourne Homes March 2005 0.0 
			 Nottingham Nottingham City Homes March 2005 0.0 
			 Rotherham 2010 Rotherham March 2005 0.0 
			   Total 954.2 
		
	
	(88) The dates given are those when the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister gave approval under s.27 of the Housing Act 1985 for the local authority to delegate housing management responsibilities to its ALMO. The ALMO would normally become operational shortly afterwards.
	(89) These ALMOs have been awarded a rating of at least 2 stars by the Housing Inspectorate and have qualified for ALMO funding from 2005–06. The other ALMOs with no recorded expenditure have yet to secure a qualifying rating.

Council Tax

David Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much council tax was uncollected within the Southend local authority in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by council tax band.

Phil Woolas: Details of how much council tax was uncollected within the Southend local authority in each of the last five years are published on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website and can be found under the heading "Information For Taxpayers—Council Tax Collection Rates" at: http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/ct.htm.
	It is not possible to provide the data broken down by council tax band as the data are not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fire Service

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the time scale is for announcing the location of the Regional Fire Control Headquarters.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We hope to make an announcement on the location of the new fire control centres soon. They are not planned as "headquarters".

Homeless Households

David Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homeless households in the Southend, West constituency have been resident in bed-and-breakfast accommodation in each year since 2000; and what percentage of them claimed benefit in each year.

Yvette Cooper: Information on statutory homelessness is not collected at constituency level, only at local authority level. Information reported by Southend on Sea borough council about the number of households in bed and breakfast style accommodation as at 31 March of each year since 2000 is tabled as follows. Also included are comparable data on the number of households in all forms of temporary accommodation.
	The number of these households claiming, or in receipt of, housing or social security benefits is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		Households in bed and breakfast, and in all forms of temporary accommodation, secured by Southend on Sea borough council(90)
		
			  Bed and breakfast as at 31 March All forms of temporary accommodation as at 31 March 
			  Total of which: Families(91) Total of which: Families(91) 
		
		
			 2000 21 n/a 105 n/a 
			 2001 50 n/a 161 n/a 
			 2002 24 21 121 110 
			 2003 69 41 175 132 
			 2004 16 0 228 165 
			 2005 13 0 207 168 
		
	
	n/a denotes not available; data collected from March 2002 onwards
	(90) Bed and breakfast-style accommodation (involving shared-use of bathroom and/or kitchen facilities) arranged by the local authority pending inquiries, or after being accepted, under homelessness legislation.
	(91) Families are households with dependent children or an expectant mother.
	Source:
	ODPM P1E homelessness returns (quarterly).

Homeless Households

James Paice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households in (a) South Cambridgeshire and (b) East Cambridgeshire were accepted as homeless in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: A summary of information reported by South Cambridgeshire and East Cambridgeshire district councils about the number of households accepted under homelessness legislation as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, in each year since 1997–98 is tabled as follows:
	
		Households accepted as homeless(92) in East Cambridgeshire and South Cambridgeshire district councils
		
			  East Cambridgeshire South Cambridgeshire 
			  Total Rate per 1,000 households(93) Total Rate per 1,000 households(93) 
		
		
			 1997–98 92 3.3 80 1.5 
			 1998–99 167 5.6 67 1.3 
			 1999–2000 180 6.0 85 1.6 
			 2000–01 208 6.7 125 2.3 
			 2001–02 207 6.9 148 2.8 
			 2002–03 150 4.8 103 1.9 
			 2003–04 185 5.8 129 2.4 
			 2004–05 192 6.0 116 2.1 
		
	
	(92) Households found to be eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and falling within a priority need group, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty by the local authority.
	(93) Based on mid-year estimates of household population.
	Source:
	ODPM P1E homelessness returns (quarterly)

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much per household per week was transferred out of the housing revenue account of each Yorkshire and Humberside local authority in cross-subsidisation in the last year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: The weekly per-dwelling figures for those authorities in positive and negative subsidy in the Yorkshire and Humberside region are given in the following table. These figures are taken from the latest data available for 2004–05 as provided by the authorities on their subsidy claim forms.
	
		
			   £ 
			 Authority Positive HRA subsidy entitlement Negative HRA subsidy entitlement 
		
		
			 Barnsley 0.76 — 
			 City of York — 11.71 
			 Doncaster — 2.27 
			 East Riding — 13.31 
			 Harrogate — 10.51 
			 Kingston upon Hull 0.15 — 
			 Kirklees 5.30 — 
			 Leeds — 0.52 
			 North East Linconshire — 1.17 
			 North Lincolnshire — 3.23 
			 Richmondshire — 10.52 
			 Rotherham — 4.37 
			 Scarborough 0.13 — 
			 Selby — 14.75 
			 Sheffield 4.70 — 
			 Wakefield — 8.35 
		
	
	The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Subsidy regime is based, in part, on the assumed income and expenditure for each authority. Those authorities with a notional income greater than their notional expenditure are negative subsidy authorities. Their subsidy surplus is pooled centrally and redistributed to deficit authorities. This redistribution occurs at a national, rather than regional level.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 12 July 2005, Official Report, columns 962–63W, on the Decent Homes Standard, what performance rating was achieved by (a) Waltham Forest, (b) Stockton and (c) Stockport; and what the funding implications are in each case.

Yvette Cooper: ALMOs must secure at least a two star rating, on a scale of zero to three stars, to qualify for additional Government funding. The ratings and funding implications for the ALMOs tabled as follows, are:
	
		
			 Local authority and ALMO Audit Commission rating Funding implications 
		
		
			 (a) Waltham Forest-Ascham Homes April 2004: one star Conditional funding offer of 28. 2 million for 2003–04 and 2004–05 has lapsed. Further bid not accepted in June 2005. No longer on the ALMO programme. 
			 October 2002: two stars  The one star rating in May 2005 has no funding implications since Tristar 
			 (b) Stockton-Tristar Homes   Homes had already used its total allocation of £63 million in 2002–03, 
			  May 2005: one star  2003–04 and 2004–05 before the reduction in the star rating took place. 
			
			 (c) Stockport -Stockport Homes First ALMO Inspection due in June 2006 Conditional funding of £40.36 million for 2006–07 and 2007–08 announced in June 2005.

Housing

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homes have been built in the North East Milton Keynes constituency in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister collects housebuilding data only at local authority level so there are no figures available for the constituency of North East Milton Keynes. The annual numbers of new build completions reported for Milton Keynes local authority since 2000–01 are tabled as follows.
	
		
			  New-build completions 
		
		
			 2000–01 1,475 
			 2001–02 1,246 
			 2002–03 1,239 
			 2003–04 (94)1,074 
			 2004–05 1,064 
		
	
	(94) Missing June 2003 quarter P2 return from Milton Keynes.
	Source:
	Returns (P2/NHBC) to ODPM on building control completions

Housing

Michael Meacher: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what appointments were made to lead bodies providing services related to housing provision for which he is responsible in each year since 1997; and what their (a) role, (b) pay, (c) length of tenure at appointment and (d) previous experience in the (i) public sector and (ii) private sector was in each case.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, some of the information requested can be found in the Annual Reports of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and in the Cabinet Office's annual publication "Public Bodies", which will be available shortly on the Public Bodies website.

Housing

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the local authorities in the South-East (a) whose housing waiting list is open to applicants who live and work in the area and (b) that operate a closed list available only to applicants with a direct local connection.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold the information requested, and in any event it is not lawful for a local authority to maintain a "closed" waiting list. This is because changes to the allocation legislation (Part 6 of the Housing Act 1996) introduced by the Homelessness Act 2002 removed the power for local authorities to implement blanket exclusions of certain categories of applicant. All applicants are eligible for an allocation of accommodation, with the exception of certain persons from abroad, and those whom the authority decide to treat as ineligible as a result of serious unacceptable behaviour. However, local authorities may take into account any local connection which exists between the applicant and the local authority district in determining priority for an allocation.

Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people in Milton Keynes are classified as homeless.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly and is in respect of households rather than persons. The number of households accepted by Milton Keynes Unitary Authority as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need during 2004–05, and the number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by the authority under homelessness legislation as at 31 March 2005 is in the following table.
	The duty owed to a person accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available. As an alternative to the provision of temporary accommodation some authorities arrange for households to remain in their current accommodation (homeless at home) until a settled solution becomes available.
	Information is also collected on the number of people who sleep rough—that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night—and these are also presented in the following table.
	
		
			 Milton Keynes UA Number 
		
		
			 Households accepted(95)as owed a main duty during 2004–05 705 
			 Households in temporary accommodation(96) on 31 March  2005 849 
			 Rough sleepers 2004(97) (number of persons) 0 
		
	
	(95) Households eligible under homelessness legislation, found to be unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty between April 2004 and March 2005.
	(96) Households in accommodation either pending a decision on their homelessness application or awaiting re-allocation of a settled home following acceptance. Excludes those households designated as "homeless at home" that have remained in their existing accommodation and have the same rights to suitable alternative accommodation as those in accommodation arranged by the authority.
	(97) June 2004 estimates.
	Source:
	ODPM P1E Homelessness returns (quarterly) and Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (annual) (for Rough Sleepers data)

Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much funding Milton Keynes Unitary Authority has received from all Government sources over the past 10 years in (a) nominal and (b) real terms.

Phil Woolas: The funding Milton Keynes Unitary Authority has received from all Government sources since the authority was created in 1997–98 in both nominal and real terms, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   £000 
			  Nominal Real terms 
		
		
			 1997–98 119,781 140,629 
			 1998–99 126,392 144,638 
			 1999–2000 137,519 154,335 
			 2000–01 145,020 160,650 
			 2001–02 162,228 175,382 
			 2002–03 164,663 172,530 
			 2003–04 191,871 195,879 
			 2004–05 239,018 239,018 
			 2005–06 229,852 224,244 
		
	
	The data are as reported by the local authority and are taken from the Revenue Outturn (RO) and the Capital Outturn forms for 1997–98 to 2003–04, the Revenue Account (RA) budget form for 2004–05 and 2005–06, Capital Provisional Outturn (CPR4) form for 2004–05 and the Capital Estimates Return (CER) form for 2005–06.
	The revenue grants included are special and specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance, revenue support grant and redistributed non-domestic rates.
	The data for capital funding show resources used during that particular year funded by capital grants from central Government Departments; the revenue grants are shown in the year in which they are paid.
	Comparisons across years may not be valid due to changing local authority responsibilities.
	The real terms figures have been revalued for previous years at 2004–05 prices using the GDP deflator.

Planning

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he offers to local authorities on the procedures for dealing with retrospective planning applications; how many retrospective applications were received by each local authority in the last year for which figures are available; how many of these were subsequently (a) successful and (b) withdrawn; and in how many cases enforcement action was taken.

Yvette Cooper: Guidance to local authorities on dealing with retrospective planning applications is given in Planning Policy Guidance Note 18 [PPG18] "Enforcing Planning Control" and "Enforcing Planning Control: Good Practice Guide for Local Planning Authorities", which are available from the Stationery Office [ISBN 0–11–752554–5/ISBN 0–11–753405–6 respectively]. PPG18 is also available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at www.odpm.gov.uk
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not record statistics on the number of retrospective planning applications received by each local authority in the last year. However, a one-off survey carried out in 1999 showed that just over 3 per cent. of all applications to district planning authorities and county councils for planning permission were applied for retrospectively. The success rate for retrospective applications was 85 per cent. as against 88 per cent. overall. Subsequent enforcement action was taken in around half of all retrospective refusals.

Regional Housing Board

Joan Walley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the funding allocations for local authorities in the West Midlands from the Regional Housing Board were for 2004–05 and 2005–06.

Yvette Cooper: The allocations from regional housing pot funds made to West Midlands authorities, which were in line with recommendations from the West Midlands Housing Board, were:
	
		
			   £k 
			  2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 Birmingham 34,295.200 35,082.000 
			 Bridgnorth 479.700 481.000 
			 Bromsgrove 614.000 542.000 
			 Cannock Chase 845.351 818.000 
			 Coventry 5,023.000 5,131.000 
			 Dudley 3,165.000 3,212.000 
			 East Staffordshire 986.000 984.000 
			 Herefordshire 2,072.000 2,063.000 
			 Lichfield 557.000 544.000 
			 Malvern Hills 749.000 748.000 
			 Newcastle-under-Lyme 1,066.000 1,067.000 
			 North Shropshire 645.000 647.000 
			 North Warwickshire 531.000 545.000 
			 Nuneaton and Bedworth 1,149.000 1,180.000 
			 Oswestry 417.000 418.000 
			 Redditch 586.000 603.000 
			 Rugby 853.000 855.000 
			 Sandwell 6,929.800 7,837.000 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham 849.000 850.000 
			 Solihull 1,388.000 1,343.000 
			 South Shropshire 535.000 534.000 
			 South Staffordshire 538.000 538.000 
			 Stafford 987.000 992.000 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands 833.000 832.000 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 5,344.167 5,344.000 
			 Stratford-on-Avon 937.000 935.000 
			 Tamworth 599.000 614.000 
			 Telford and Wrekin 1,141.600 1,067.000 
			 Walsall 3,714.000 3,671.000 
			 Warwick 1,291.000 1,296.000 
			 Wolverhampton 7,394.457 7,472.500 
			 Worcester 1,073.000 962.000 
			 Wychavon 876.000 876.000 
			 Wyre Forest 794.000 797.000 
			 Total 89,257.275 90,880.500 
		
	
	The allocations to some authorities include an element intended to be spent on behalf of the authority and its neighbours.

Revenue Support Grant

Colin Burgon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much revenue support grant was awarded to Leeds city council in each year since 1995–96.

Phil Woolas: The table shows the amount of formula grant that Leeds city council received in each year since 1995–96. Formula grant consists of the following grants (where appropriate):
	Revenue Support Grant;
	Redistributed Business Rates;
	SSA Reduction Grant (SSA Review); and
	Central Support Protection Grant.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Formula grant 
		
		
			 1995–96 406.626093 
			 1996–97 431.478283 
			 1997–98 417.375527 
			 1998–99 439.900130 
			 1999–2000 464.712757 
			 2000–01 481.715430 
			 2001–02 493.596932 
			 2002–03 490.946026 
			 2003–04 537.096546 
			 2004–05 560.273223 
			 2005–06 592.477665 
		
	
	Please note that the above data should not be used for the purpose of calculating year-on-year changes. This is because the data are not comparable year-on-year due to changes in the funding and function of services.

Social Landlords

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how he proposes to allow tenants of housing associations to buy a share in the property; and whether this right will be extended to tenants of private landlords.

Yvette Cooper: The Government's proposals for a new Social HomeBuy scheme for social tenants were set out in the consultation document "HomeBuy—Expanding the Opportunity to Own". Copies of the document are available from the Library of the House. The consultation period closed on 24 June 2005 and we are currently considering the responses.
	The Government have no plans to institute a similar scheme for tenants in the private rented sector.

Telecommunications Base Stations

David Burrowes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many telecommunication base stations are situated in Enfield, Southgate;
	(2)  how many (a) telecommunication base stations and (b) mobile phone masts have been installed in Enfield, Southgate under permitted development rights since PPG8 became effective.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, during September and October every year the mobile network operators write to every local authority with details of their network rollout for the year ahead. When they write to the local authority they also provide details of their existing sites within the local authority area. My hon. Friend may want to contact the network operators for copies of their plans.

Tenants Representation

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) councils, (b) registered social landlords and (c) arm's length management organisations have tenants' representation structures.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold data on which local authorities have formal procedures for tenant representation. However, research conducted in 2003 by the Department, "Interim Evaluation of Tenant Participation Compacts" (ODPM October 2003), found that all local authorities that manage housing stock have systems in place for tenants' views to be taken into account in decision making processes. A copy of this research is available in the Library of the House.
	Under the regulatory code for Registered Social Landlords, published by the Housing Corporation, "Housing Associations must seek and be responsive to residents' views and priorities (Part 2.5 page V)". The methods of achieving this will vary from landlord to landlord. We expect all RSLs which are established as part of a stock transfer to draw approximately one third of their management board from residents.
	All arm's length management organisations have a management board made up of at least one third tenants.

Wind Farms

Peter Bone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the siting of onshore wind farm developments, with specific reference to Airfield Farm, Podington, Bedfordshire.

Yvette Cooper: National planning policies on the location of renewable energy developments are set out in Planning Policy Statement 22 (PPS22) "Renewable Energy". PPS22 requires planning authorities to set criteria based policies against which planning applications for renewable energy projects can then be considered.
	Any proposal for a wind farm with an installed capacity of less than 50 MW will require a planning application to be submitted in the first instance to the local planning authority. The local authority will then need to consider the application in light of the policies in the development plan for the area and any other material considerations. As any application may subsequently come before my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister the First Secretary of State for decision, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on this specific proposal.
	Proposals for wind farms with an installed capacity over 50 MW will be considered by the Secretary of State for Energy under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, with the local planning authority being a statutory consultee.

Alcohol Related Deaths

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many deaths in which the primary cause was alcohol have been identified in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The following table gives the number of deaths in Northern Ireland in the latest year available—2004, where the underlying cause of death indicated a condition directly relating to alcohol use 1 .
	
		Number of alcohol-related deathsregistered in Northern Ireland, 2004
		
			  Alcohol-related deaths(98) 
		
		
			 2004(99) 31 
		
	
	(98) For the year 2004 the cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The codes used to define alcohol-related deaths are listed as follows:
	F10—Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
	I42.6—Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
	K70—Alcoholic liver disease
	K73—Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified
	K74—Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver
	X45—Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol
	(99) Data for 2004 are provisional

Civil Servants

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil servants worked in the Northern Ireland Civil Service in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The number of civil servants (permanent and temporary) working in the 11 Departments of the NI Administration and the NIO, including agencies, at 1 January for each of the past 10 years was as follows:
	
		
			  Permanent Temporary Total 
		
		
			 1996 25,446 (100)— 25,446 
			 1997 24,140 (100)— 24,140 
			 1998 23,500 (100)— 23,500 
			 1999 23,802 1,485 25,287 
			 2000 24,214 1,359 25,573 
			 2001 25,381 1,002 26,383 
			 2002 26,668 1,040 27,708 
			 2003 27,584 897 28,481 
			 2004 28,486 1,076 29,562 
			 2005 29,205 641 29,846 
		
	
	(100) Information on temporary staff is not available prior to 1999.

Correspondence

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many letters to his Department from hon. Members in session (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06 remain unanswered, broken down by those which are (i) one month old, (ii) two months old, (iii) three months old, (iv) four months old and (v) over six months old.

Peter Hain: No letters received from hon. Members in the 2004–05 session remain unanswered. In the current session, three letters, all in the category of one month old, have not yet received substantive replies.
	The above information relates to the 11 Departments of the Northern Ireland Administration and the Northern Ireland Office.

Departmental Purchasing

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the companies from which his Department has purchased goods and services of a total value above £1 million in each of the last three years; and how much was spent in respect of each company.

Angela Smith: Details of companies from which Departments in Northern Ireland have purchased goods and services of a total value above £1 million in each of the last three years and how much was spent in respect of each company are set out as follows. Cumulative spends above £l million with individual companies across Departments could be identified only at disproportionate cost and are therefore not provided.
	
		£
		
			 Name of company/vendor 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Aventis Pasteur MSD 1,171,410 — 1,153,051 
			 Belfast Centre of Learning 1,249,000 1,052,000 1,195,000 
			 BIC Systems — 1,374,749 — 
			 British Telecom NI 1,420,531 — 1,570,484 
			 BTW Shiells Ltd. — — 1,693,656 
			 Corporate Document Services 1,032,894 1,233,774 1,064,784 
			 Dale Farm Dairies Ltd. — — 1,321,600 
			 EDS Ltd. — 3,235,291 4,689,739 
			 Electrical Training NI Ltd. 2,325,000 2,536,000 2,834,000 
			 Energia — — 1,067,572 
			 Fujitsu 10,178,791 12,817,986 10,941,673 
			 H&J Martin Ltd. — 1,062,278 3,594,225 
			 Herbert Smith Solicitors — — 1,012,563 
			 Hewlett Packard Ltd. — — 1,450,534 
			 IBM United Kingdom Ltd. — 2,681,768 — 
			 Joblink 1,310,000 1,607,000 1,924,000 
			 John Sheridan & Sons Ltd. — 1,083,936 — 
			 Logica CMC UK Ltd. — 1,855,449 — 
			 Maybin Property Support Services (NI) Ltd. — 1,144,767 1,199,753 
			 McCann Erickson/Lyle Bailie 2,663,808 1,806,438 4,171,988 
			 McConnell Martin — 1,575,475 1,628,775 
			 McLaughlin & Harvey Ltd. — — 3,496,567 
			 MVM Consultants plc 1,248,590 1,363,520 1,327,525 
			 Navigator Blue — 1,401,757 1,300,784 
			 New Deal West 1,731,000 1,861,000 2,162,000 
			 NI Electricity plc 1,203,655 1,014,519 — 
			 North City Training Ltd. 1,848,000 1,973,000 2,521,000 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers Ltd. 1,281,452 — — 
			 Protocol Skills 1,100,000 1,403,000 1,551,000 
			 Romaha 1,427,785 3,034,150 3,330,126 
			 Royal Mail (NI) Ltd. 2,342,779 3,174,527 2,317,625 
			 Springvale Training Ltd. 1,640,000 1,709,000 2,005,000 
			 Steria Ltd. — 3,154,165 3,014,693 
			 SX3 — — 1,216,353 
			 Syntegra 3,876,176 5,502,151 7,369,283 
			 The Post Office Ltd. — — 1,038,943 
			 Workforce Training Services 1,061,000 1,198,000 1,172,000 
		
	
	In addition the Northern Ireland Office purchased goods and services of a total value of £26,425,626 from nine companies in 2002–03, £25,485,195 from 11 companies in 2003–04 and £27,045,080 from 10 companies in 2004–05. In each case the total amount purchased from each company exceeded £1 million. Due to security and commercial confidentiality it is not appropriate to name individuals companies in this case.

Departmental Staff (Stress)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of work-related stress have been reported in his Department in each of the last three years; how much compensation was paid to employees in each year; how many work days were lost due to work-related stress in each year; at what cost; what procedures have been put in place to reduce work-related stress; at what cost; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: NI Departments hold information in respect of working days lost due to psychiatric/psychological illnesses. However, it is not currently possible to determine precisely if these absences have been caused by, or made worse by work-related stress. Therefore, the information set out as follows reflects only those cases where work-related stress was specifically reported on either self-certificates or on medical certificates. Information on costs is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs. Work is under way to develop a coding system that will more accurately record work-related illnesses.
	A range of corporate measures has been introduced to help tackle stress including the promotion of work life balance, healthy lifestyle programmes and a Workplace Health Improvement Programme. Departments have also produced guidance for staff and managers on how to identify and manage work-related stress and complimented by training and awareness seminars. Managers also have the support of the Occupational Health Service (OHS), including the provision of Psychiatric nursing services, a comprehensive Welfare service and Employee Support Programmes (EAP). These programmes and support mechanisms take a more holistic view of staff health and well-being, including stress. While we can identify the overall cost of the provision of services, such as the OHS, Welfare and EAPs, any costing information, specific to work-related stress, is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	A major workforce health survey is currently underway with over 30,000 Northern Ireland civil servants invited to complete a health questionnaire. The survey contains a substantial section on stress, and seeks to identify where work may have been a contributory factor. The stress questions have been based on the Health and Safety Executive's Stress Management Standards.
	
		
			  Number of cases of work-related stress have been reported 
		
		
			 2002–03 58 
			 2003–04 76 
			 2004–05 90 
		
	
	
		
		
			  Total compensation paid(101)(£) 
		
		
			 2002–03 0 
			 2003–04 10,000 
			 2004–05 0 
		
	
	(101) "Compensation" has been interpreted as that paid as a result of litigation arising out of work-related stress cases.
	
		
			  Number of work days lost due to work-related stress 
		
		
			 2002–03 3,797 
			 2003–04 4,548 
			 2004–05 5,448

Educational Performance

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the 10 worst areas in Northern Ireland for educational accomplishment based on the Nolan indices; and what steps he is taking in each area to make improvements in performance.

Angela Smith: The 10 most deprived areas for achievement of qualifications and access to education under the Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure 2005, the "children and young people" sub-domain, are:
	
		
			 Rank Super output area Local government district 
		
		
			 1 Shankill 1 Belfast 
			 2 Shankill 2 Belfast 
			 3 The Mount 1 Belfast 
			 4 Crumlin2 Belfast 
			 5 Blackstaff 2 Belfast 
			 6 WoodvaleS Belfast 
			 7 Whiterock 2 Belfast 
			 8 Falls 2 Belfast 
			 9 Crumlin 1 Belfast 
			 10 Glencairn 1 Belfast 
		
	
	Note:
	Rank no. 1 relates to the most deprived area.
	Super Output Areas (SOAs) are a new geography that has been developed by NISRA to improve the reporting of small area statistics. Until now the standard unit of presenting local statistical information has been the Electoral Ward (Wards). However, in Northern Ireland, Wards vary greatly in population size (Census 2001), from fewer than 800 residents to more than 9,000. This is not ideal for regional and local comparisons. SOAs have been created on a ward-by-ward basis taking into account measures of population size and mutual proximity. SOAs may constitute a whole ward, or part of a ward, and aim to provide standard areas of geography with a population between a lower threshold of 1,300 and an upper threshold of 2800.
	Raising the educational achievement of all young people, and especially those in areas of greatest social need, is a key priority for Government. This is reflected in a variety of measures including increased funding (under TSN, enhanced pre-school provision and a range of intervention programmes to improve literacy and numeracy, and to make curriculum provision more relevant to pupils' needs.

Epilepsy-related Deaths

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland have died from epilepsy-related deaths in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The following table gives the number of deaths in Northern Ireland per year between 2000 and 2004 where the underlying cause of death was recorded as epilepsy 1 .
	
		Number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland due to epilepsy, 2000 to 2004
		
			  Deaths due to epilepsy1 
		
		
			 2000 23 
			 2001 22 
			 2002 22 
			 2003 22 
			 2004(103) 31 
		
	
	(102) International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code G40 for years 2001–04 and Ninth Revision code 345 for year 2000.
	(103) Data for 2004 is provisional

Fabrication Jobs

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many fabrication jobs there are in Northern Ireland; and what the figures are for each of the last four years.

Angela Smith: Estimates of the number of employee jobs in the Manufacture of Fabricated Metal Products, Except Machinery and Equipment in Northern Ireland at March in each year 2002 to 2005 are detailed in the following table.
	
		Table 1: Employee jobs(104) in the manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment
		
			 As at March Number 
		
		
			 2002 6,420 
			 2003 6,340 
			 2004(105) 6,740 
			 2005(106) 6,920 
		
	
	(104) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10
	(105) Revised
	(106) Provisional
	Note:
	Figures are not seasonally adjusted
	Source:
	Quarterly Employment Survey, DETI

Jobcentres (Assaults)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Job Centre staff in Northern Ireland have been the victims of assault in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The recorded incidents are set out in the following tables.
	
		Reported incidents of violence or verbal abuse in jobcentres
		
			  Violence to staff Verbal abuse Incidents involving customers 
			  Commit an actual physical assault on staff, contractor or customer; regardless of whether or not injury occurred Verbal abuse, shouting, swearing, name calling, insults threats-with or without a weapon, abusive phone calls, written abuse Fighting between themselves or damage to property 
		
		
			 1995–2001 0 0 0 
			 2002 0 2 2 
			 2003 0 3 0 
			 2004 0 0 0 
			 2005 0 2 0 
			 Total 0 7 2 
		
	
	
		Reported incidents of violence or verbal abuse in jobs and benefits offices(107)
		
			  Violence to staff Verbal abuse Incidents involving customers 
			  Commit an actual physical assault on staff, contractor or customer; regardless of whether or not injury occurred Verbal abuse, shouting, swearing, name calling, insults threats-with or without a weapon, abusive phone calls, written abuse Fighting between themselves or damage to property 
		
		
			 1995–2001 0 0 0 
			 2002 0 0 0 
			 2003 0 3 2 
			 2004 1 7 0 
			 2005 0 3 1 
			 Total 1 13 3 
		
	
	(107) Jobs and Benefits Offices were introduced in 2002.

Management Consultants

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department's total spending on management consultants has been in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: The following outlines the expenditure by the 11 Departments of the Northern Ireland administration and the Northern Ireland Office excluding agencies and non-departmental public bodies:
	
		
			  Management consultants(108) 
		
		
			 2002–03 4,410,990 
			 2003–04 4,853,689 
		
	
	(108) Defined as management advisory consultancy work relating to policy appraisal and review, strategic management, organisational development and performance measurement.
	Figures for 2004–05 are not currently held centrally however details will be forwarded to my hon. Friend as soon as they are available.

Maternities

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many young women in Northern Ireland in each age cohort from 12 to 18 years gave birth in each year since 2000–01

Angela Smith: The following table gives the number of maternities 1 registered by age of mother in Northern Ireland for each calendar year from 2000 to 2004.
	
		Number of maternities by age of mother, 2000–04
		
			  Registration year 
			 Age of mother 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004(110) 
		
		
			 12 0 0 0 0 0 
			 13 1 1 2 0 3 
			 14 10 4 3 4 2 
			 15 47 37 32 29 34 
			 16 163 127 113 122 133 
			 17 311 278 304 268 271 
			 18 481 489 491 469 467 
			 12–18 1,013 936 945 892 910 
		
	
	(109) Maternities are defined to be the number of pregnancies ending in stillbirth or live births with multiple births counting only once.
	(110) Data for 2004 are provisional.

Staff Sickness

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days were lost through staff sickness in respect of each department, agency and non-departmental public body in Northern Ireland in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05; what the average number of days lost per employee was in each case; and what estimate has been made of the cost of sickness absence in each year.

Angela Smith: Sick absence statistics for the Northern Ireland Departments are analysed by financial year as opposed to calendar year. The information set out at table 1 as follows represents the total number of days lost due to sickness absence in each of the 11 Departments of the NI Administration, their agencies and the NIO for the period 2003–04. The information relating to non-departmental public bodies is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The 2004–05 figures for NI Departments and NIO are currently being processed and are not yet available.
	The information set out at table 2 represents the total number of days lost due to sickness in the NI Prison Service for the period 2003–05.
	The "Working days lost per staff year" approach is based on Cabinet Office recommendation. This approach replaced "working days lost per person" which can misrepresent the absence rate in organisations which have a high proportion of part-time staff and/or high levels of staff turnover.
	Published statistics for Northern Ireland Departments for the financial years 2000–01 to 2003–04 are accessible on the Department's website at www.dfpni.gov.uk/publications.
	
		Table 1: NI Departments and NIO: 2003–04
		
			 Department/agency(111) Total number of days lost Average days lost per staff year Cost (£) 
		
		
			 DARD 40,428.5 12.4 3,076,221 
			 which includes:
			 Forest Service 1,154.1 9.5 97,347 
			 Rivers Agency 2,047.4 12.5 172,520 
			 
			 DCAL 6,464.4 15.1 594,459 
			 which includes:
			 PRONI 1,290.6 15.6 88,652 
			 OSNI 2,498.3 13.3 253,893 
			 
			 DE 6,984.9 11.7 530,094 
			 
			 DEL 28,413.8 17.7 2,117,164 
			 
			 DETI(111) 8,218.2 11.8 639,922 
			 
			 DFP(112) 40,020.6 14.3 2,837,135 
			 which includes:
			 BDS 4,916.3 21.1 359,432 
			 NISRA 4,042.2 12.1 295,942 
			 VLA 3,339.4 11.6 265,918 
			 Land Registers of NI 5,388.7 24.6 334,713 
			 Rate Collection Agency 5,039.9 19.3 281,958 
			 
			 DHSSPS 12,128.9 12.3 1,127,489 
			 which includes:
			 Health Estates Agency 1,011.3 7.8 118,927 
			 
			 DOE 29,216.4 13.4 2,291,734 
			 which includes:
			 Planning Service 6,935.1 10.8 625,859 
			 Environment and Heritage Service 5,056.8 11.2 427,643 
			 DVLNI 9,263.2 21.1 593,365 
			 DVTA 5,339.6 11.7 416,714 
			 
			 DRD 37,036.9 12.0 3,125,789 
			 which includes:
			 Roads Service 17,068.9 11.7 1,402,675 
			 Water Service 11,806.9 10.6 1,020,126 
			 
			 DSD 159,088.4 19.7 9,414,774 
			 which includes:
			 CSA 38,822.5 24.5 2,026,395 
			 SSA 110,562.5 18.8 6,634,158 
			 
			 OFMDFM 4,815.5 12.6 355,725 
			 
			 NIO (including Home Civil Service) 18,001.5 13.0 1,439,378 
			 
			 Total 390,818.0 15.3 27,549,883 
		
	
	(111) Staff from Health and Safety Executive NI and Office for the Regulation of Electricity and Gas (OFREG) are included in the DETI figures.
	(112) Staff from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Complaints and the Planning Appeals Commission are included in the DFP figures.
	
		Table 2: NI Prison Service
		
			  2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Total number of days lost 43,808 33,272 
			 Average days lost per staff year 20.7 15.9 
			 Cost (£ million) 5.1 3.8

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions the Health and Safety Executive has had with the emergency services about co-ordinating investigations when carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected.

James Plaskitt: The Work-Related Deaths Protocol (WRDP) sets out the principles for liaison between the investigating authorities in relation to all work-related deaths in England and Wales. Additionally, its associated "Investigators Guide" includes practical guidance for dealing with domestic gas incidents. In March 2005, HSE issued through the WRDP's network of regional groups, revised guidance on the role of gas suppliers' investigators and revised arrangements for carrying out simulation tests.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what level of accuracy the Child Support Agency's checking teams have been assessed to have achieved on each separate occasion when they have been assessed; and what level of accuracy was achieved by the agency's front end staff;
	(2)  how often checks have been made on the accuracy of the Child Support Agency's checking teams.

Stephen Timms: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the requested information.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty to Mr. David Laws, dated 5 September 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what level of accuracy the Child Support Agency's checking teams have been assessed to have achieved on each separate occasion when they have been assessed; and what level of accuracy was achieved by the Agency's front end staff. You also asked, how often checks have been made on the accuracy of the Child Support Agency's checking teams.
	The Agency's Secretary of State target for new scheme cases is "that accuracy on the last decision for all maintenance calculations checked to be correct to the nearest penny in at least 90% of cases." For 2004/2005, the Agency reported 75% accuracy for new scheme cases and for 2005/2006, the year to date total for new scheme cases has increased to 82%.
	For old scheme cases, the Agency's internal target is "that accuracy on the last decision for all maintenance calculations checked to be correct to the nearest penny in at least 82% of cases." For 2004/2005, the Agency reported 78% accuracy for old scheme cases and for 2005/2006, the year to date total for old scheme cases is 77%.
	The accuracy rate of child support assessments is determined by checks carried out by the Monitoring and Guidance Unit (MAGU). This unit was established as an independent body to monitor quality independent from the Agency. MAGU was audited by the Internal Assurance Service last year following their assessment of the 2003/2004 accuracy rate. As part of this validation process, 26 cases were selected at random per business unit (156 in total for the Agency). Internal Assurance Service concluded that they agreed with MAGU's findings, confirming the validity of their results. I am satisfied that the monitoring of cases undertaken by MAGU forms an appropriate independent assurance; their accuracy rate is therefore not checked on a regular basis.
	Business units carry out a number of local checks, including accuracy, debt adjustment and closure. They are provided with a quota for each of these checks to determine the number to be done. These checks are not validated by MAGU. They provide the business with an assurance that these types of cases are being actioned correctly and that any incorrect practices can be addressed at a local level.
	I hope that this reply has been useful.

Children in Poverty

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) children and (b) disabled children in single parent families have been assessed as living in poverty in (i) the Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: Specific information regarding low income for the United Kingdom is available in 'Households Below Average Income 1994–95 to 2003–04'. The threshold of below 60 per cent. median income is the most commonly used in reporting trends in low income.
	The number of children in 2003–04 living in lone parents families in households with low incomes in the North East was 60,000 when incomes were measured Before Housing Costs, and 80,000 when incomes were measured After Housing Costs.
	Information regarding the number of children living in lone parent families in low income households is not available below regional level. Information regarding the number of disabled children in single parent families living in low income households is not available below national level.
	The number of children living in lone parent families in households with low incomes in Great Britain in each year since 1997 and the number of disabled children living in lone parent families in households with low incomes in Great Britain in each year since 1997 is presented in the tables:
	
		Children living in lone parent families in households with low incomes in Great Britain
		
			  Income below 60 per cent. of  contemporary median income Income below 60 per cent. of 1996–97 median income held constant in real terms 
			  Before housing costs After housing costs Before housing costs After housing costs 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,100,000 1,700,000 1,100,000 1,700,000 
			 1998–99 1,100,000 1,700,000 1,000,000 1,600,000 
			 1999–2000 1,100,000 1,800,000 900,000 1,600,000 
			 2000–01 1,000,000 1,600,000 700,000 1,300,000 
			 2001–02 1,000,000 1,600,000 500,000 1,100,000 
			 2002–03 1,000,000 1,600,000 400,000 900,000 
			 2003–04 900,000 1,400,000 400,000 900,000 
		
	
	
		Disabled children living in lone parent families in households with low incomes in Great Britain
		
			  Income below 60 per cent. of  contemporary median income Income below 60 per cent. of 1996–97 median income held constant in real terms 
			  Before housing costs After housing costs Before housing costs After housing costs 
		
		
			 1997–98 111,000 150,000 110,000 150,000 
			 1998–99 70,000 110,000 60,000 100,000 
			 1999–00 80,000 120,000 70,000 110,000 
			 2000–01 90,000 130,000 60,000 100,000 
			 2001–02 50,000 100,000 20,000 60,000 
			 2002–03 60,000 90,000 20,000 60,000 
			 2003–04 60,000 100,000 30,000 70,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. GB has been provided in the table to provide a consistent time series because UK information is only available from 2002–03.
	2. The table shows national results for the number of children rounded to the nearest 100,000. Regional figures for 2003–04 are presented to the nearest 10,000. The results are drawn from a survey of a sample of households. While the tables give an indication of trends over time, the figures, especially those at regional level, should not be viewed as giving an accurate picture of year-on-year changes.
	3. The definition for disabled here is consistent across all year, and is defined where a long standing illness that limits mobility is reported.
	Source:
	Family Resources Survey

Child Support Agency

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on enforcement by the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Mike Isaac to Mr. Danny Alexander, dated 5 September 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently on leave I am responding on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been spent on enforcement by the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
	The amounts spent on enforcement by the Child Support Agency in each of the last three years are:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2003–04 3.6 
			 2004–05 3.6 
			 2005–06 (113)4 
		
	
	(113) Projected spend
	These amounts reflect the cost of staff deployed directly on enforcement casework. In each of the three years mentioned, the Agency also incurred expenditure of approximately £3 million on progressing cases through the Court System. Information for the years prior to 2003/04 is not available.
	I hope you find this answer useful.

Departmental Purchasing

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the companies from which his Department has purchased goods and services of a total value above £1 million in each of the last three years; and how much was spent in respect of each company.

Anne McGuire: The details of the principal companies with which the Department for Work and Pensions have purchased goods and services in the last three financial years, in order of the total spend with each, have been placed in the Library. The tables show the top 100 companies in 2002–03 and the top 200 companies in 2003–04 and 2004–05. The tables are based on the level of detail collected as standard at the time and identify most, but not all, companies where the spend was over £1 million in the year covered. The additional information about companies that would fall below the threshold of these tables but where spend is over £1 million is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his estimate is of the number of employees in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies for each year from 1985–86; what the planned figures are for each year to 2008–09; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has to reduce staff numbers in his Department in the next three years; in which areas reductions will be made; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of staff in the Department, broken down by agency or body within the departmental budget, in each year from 1996–97 to 2008–09 (planned); and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions was established in June 2001 bringing together the former Department of Social Security, parts of the former Department of Education and Employment including the Employment Service. The number of staff in the new Department at this date was 119,052. Comparable historical staffing figures before this date are not available.
	The breakdown of staffing within the Department and its agencies from April 2002 to March 2005 is in table 1.
	
		Table 1: Staffing numbers 30 April 2002 to 31 March 2005
		
			  30 April 2002 31 March 2003 31 March 2004 31 March 2005 
		
		
			 Jobcentre Plus 86,082 78,564 79,122 73,406 
			 The Pension Service 8,782 17,019 18,567 16,189 
			 Child Support Agency 10,753 11,256 10,779 9,784 
			 Disability and Carers Service 7,380 7,207 7,103 6,506 
			 Appeals Service 925 881 816 752 
			 The Rent Service — — — 718 
			 Other departmental units 12,892 13,898 12,068 11,874 
			 Total 126,814 128,825 128,455 119,229 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are full-time equivalents, are consistent with Cabinet Office definitions and exclude staff on paid maternity leave.
	2. Jobcentre Plus and the Pension Service were established on 1 April 2002.
	3. The Rent Service joined the Department from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
	4. Disability and Carers Service was granted agency status from 1 November 2004.
	Announced in the 2004 spending review, the Department has plans to reduce overall staff numbers by 30,000 by 31 March 2008. Planned staffing numbers for each year up to 2008 are shown in table 2.
	Between 1 March 2004 to 31 March 2005 staffing reduced by 11,402. Staffing reductions are a feature in all Government office regions.
	
		Table 2: DWP planned staffing numbers
		
			  31 March 2006 31 March 2007 31 March 2008 
		
		
			 Jobcentre Plus 70,200 67,550 65,650 
			 The Pension Service 14,200 13,350 9,200 
			 Child Support Agency 9,400 9,400 9,400 
			 Disability and Carers Service 6,400 5,950 5,550 
			 Appeals Service 750 750 0 
			 The Rent Service 750 650 200 
			 Other departmental units 10,800 10,350 8,450 
			 Total 112,500 108,000 100,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are full-time equivalents rounded to the nearest 50, are consistent with Cabinet Office definitions and exclude staff on paid maternity leave.
	2. Plans are subject to ongoing review.

Families and Children Study

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason the Families and Children Study no longer identifies separately married, cohabiting and step families; and if he will revert to providing this breakdown at the first opportunity.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 11 July 2005
	The Families and Children Study collects a wealth of information. Because of the quantity of variables on the dataset it is not practical to include all of these in the annual reports. Judgments are made about which information is most relevant to the Government Departments sponsoring the study. The report "Family life in Britain: findings from the 2003 Families and Children Study", which is available in the Library, describes families as either lone parent or couple families as this is consistent with how DWP clients are segmented in welfare-to-work programmes and the benefit system. We have no plans to change this.
	The full datasets, including variables indicating the nature of the relationship between all individuals in a household, are made publicly available through the Economic Social and Research Council data archive, as is standard practice for surveys commissioned by this Department.

Management Consultants

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which five management consultancies received the highest value of contracts awarded by his Department in each of the last three years; and what the total value was of the contracts awarded to each.

Stephen Timms: Information for 20020–03 and 2003–04 is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information for 2004–05 is as follows.
	
		Top five management consultancies—highest value single contract
		
			 £ million 
			 Consultancy Original contract value 
		
		
			 PA Consulting 3,374,680 
			 KPMG 1,699,150 
			 IBM 1,269,798 
			 PA Consulting 1,188,220 
			 PwC 1,139,000 
		
	
	
		Top five management consultancies—highest total value of contacts
		
			  £000 
			 Consultancy Total expenditure 
		
		
			 CapGemini 45,870,317 
			 IBM 33,975,211 
			 BoozeAllen Hamilton 17,300,000 
			 PA Consulting 13,573,955 
			 Deloitte 4,828,914 
		
	
	The Department awards contracts in open and fair competition in accordance with EU procurement regulations based on best value for money.

Northern Way Agenda

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mechanisms are in place to co-ordinate Welfare to Work policies with the Northern Way agenda of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

James Plaskitt: This is an important area for partnership between DWP and the three Departments—the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, HM Treasury and the Department of Trade and Industry—with responsibility for the regional economic performance PSA target. DWP has given its support to the objectives of the REP PSA and is represented on the steering group that co-ordinates government activity aimed at meeting the target.
	Over 90 per cent. of local authorities in Great Britain have an employment rate above the EU average. Low employment is concentrated in a relatively small number of areas across the country, particularly in our major cities, some former industrial areas and some coastal towns, including Hartlepool.
	DWP's PSA targets support the Government's wider agenda by aiming to raise employment rates, especially for groups and areas of the country that currently lag behind the national average. Central to achieving this is the work of Jobcentre Plus and programmes such as new deal, which concentrate resources on areas with concentrations of long-term unemployment and economic inactivity. In addition there are locally focused programmes such as action teams that provide additional support in particularly disadvantaged areas.
	Initiatives such as the Northern Way complement this approach by providing further help and support on top of existing welfare to work policies. The Northern Way has recognised the importance of tackling the number of people on incapacity benefits. The last year has seen the numbers on these benefits nationally fall for the first time in several decades, partly through the success of Jobcentre Plus, the new deal and pathways to work. Although the improvement has been concentrated in the areas with the highest rates of benefit receipt, parts of the north-east and other regions continue to have disproportionate numbers claiming incapacity benefits.

Pathways to Work

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish his Department's latest assessment of the Pathways to Work pilots.

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the Pathways to Work pilot schemes are being evaluated; and when the findings will be published.

James Plaskitt: The Department has commissioned a consortium of organisations led by the Policy Studies Institute to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the Pathways to Work pilots. This involves research with incapacity benefit customers, jobcentre plus staff and service providers and includes qualitative and quantitative assessments of process and outcomes.
	The Department has published the following reports as part of the evaluation of the Pathways to Work pilots.
	"Incapacity Benefit Reforms—Early findings from qualitative research", the National Centre for Social Research, DWP report no 202 (published September 2004).
	"Incapacity Benefit Reforms—The Personal Adviser Role & Practices", the National Centre for Social Research, DWP report no 212 (published November 2004).
	"IB Reforms Pilot: Findings from a longitudinal panel of clients", Social Policy Research Unit, DWP report no. 259 (published 7 July 2005).
	These reports are available in the Library.
	The programme of evaluation continues through until 2008. Further reports will be published in the DWP research series.

Publications

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the publications issued by his Department in each of the last seven years; and what the (a) circulation, (b) cost and (c) purpose of each was.

Anne McGuire: This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Sickness Absence

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many days of sickness absence were taken in his Department in the year to April 2005.

Anne McGuire: For the 12 month period 1 April 2004 to 30 March 2005 the average number of working days lost in the Department for Work and Pensions was 12.5 days.

State Retirement Pensioners

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many state retirement pensioners there are in the Stroud constituency; and what percentage that represents of the total electorate of that constituency.

Stephen Timms: As at 30 September 2004 there were 20,800 recipients of the state pension in the Stroud parliamentary constituency of whom 7,600 were males and 13,200 females. This represents around 26 per cent. of the electorate.
	Notes
	1. Recipient figures, rounded to the nearest 100, are taken from a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a high degree of sampling variation.
	2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant Office for National Statistics postcode directory.
	Sources
	1. Number of recipients—IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample as at September 2004.
	2. 2005 electoral data—Stroud district council.

Work Placement Services

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research he has collated on the relative (a) efficiency and (b) cost of work placement services conducted by Jobcentre Plus and the private sector.

Stephen Timms: Jobcentre Plus works in partnership with the Private and Voluntary Sector in delivering a significant proportion of the support to Jobcentre Plus customers. There are few examples where it is possible to make a robust, like-for-like, comparison. However, an analysis of relative cost-effectiveness formed part of the wider analysis of Employment Zones, and the results are contained within the report "Working age research and analysis", publication No. 176 (2003), which is available on the Department for Work and Pensions website.
	The report relates to the original Employment Zones which helped the New Deal 25 plus client group. Analysis showed that the costs per participant were approximately £1,500 for Employment Zones, approximately £500 higher than those incurred by Jobcentre Plus for mandatory customers.
	However, the analysis also identified that Employment Zones achieved more employment outcomes. These findings suggest that Employment Zones are broadly as cost-effective as Jobcentre Plus at providing work placements.

Abductions

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2005, Official Report, column 1210W, on abductions, if he will break down the figures by (a) London borough, (b) gender, (c) age and (d) nationality.

Fiona Mactaggart: Data from the Home Office Court Proceedings database on the number of people prosecuted for abduction or kidnapping by London borough, gender and age, 1997 to 2003 are contained in the table. Data on the defendant's nationality are not centrally collected.
	Statistics for 2004 court proceedings will be available in the autumn. 
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for abduction or kidnapping in London, 1997–2003(114)(115), by age and sex -- Defendants
		
			 Offence description Principal statute Sex Age group 1997 1998 1999 
		
		
			 Abduction of children Child Abduction Act 1984 s.1 and 2 as amended by the Children Act 1989 Male 15–17 — — 1 
			18–20 — 3 — 
			21 and over 14 6 10 
			Total 14 9 11 
			
			   Female 15–17 1 — — 
			18–20 — 1 2 
			21 and over 4 1 5 
			Total 5 2 7 
			
			 Abduction of female having interest in property Sexual Offences Act 1956 s.17 (in part) Male 21 and over — — 1 
			
			 Abduction of female by force Sexual Offences Act 1956 s.17 (in part) Male 21 and over 2 — 2 
			
			 Abduction of unmarried girl under Sexual Offences Act 1956 s.20 Male 15–17 — — — 
			 16   21 and over 2 2 3 
			Total 2 2 3 
			
			   Female 21 and over — — — 
			
			 Kidnapping Common Law Male 10–14 — — — 
			15–17 22 2 15 
			18–20 13 6 22 
			21 and over 38 56 50 
			Total 73 64 87 
			   Female 10–14 — 1 — 
			15–17 1 — 2 
			18–20 — 1 2 
			21 and over 2 2 1 
			Total 3 4 5 
		
	
	
		
			 Offence description Principal statute Sex Age group 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Abduction of children Child Abduction Act 1984 s.1 and 2 as amended by the Children Act 1989 Male 15–17 1 — — — 
			18–20 — 1 1 1 
			21 and over 5 8 9 11 
			Total 6 9 10 12 
			 
			   Female 15–17 — — — 1 
			18–20 1 — — — 
			21 and over 5 3 2 1 
			Total 6 3 2 2 
			 
			 Abduction of female having interest in property Sexual Offences Act 1956 s.17 (in part Male 21 and over — — — — 
			 
			 Abduction of female by force Sexual Offences Act 1956 s.17 (in part) Male 21 and over — — — — 
			 
			 Abduction of unmarried girl Sexual Offences Act 1956 s.20 Male 15–17 — — 1 1 
			 under 16   21 and over — — 1 — 
			Total 0 0 2 1 
			 
			   Female 21 and over — — 1 — 
			 
			 Kidnapping Common Law Male 10–14 — — 1 5 
			15–17 6 12 17 16 
			18–20 17 31 20 29 
			21 and over 41 80 80 92 
			Total 64 123 118 142 
			 
			   Female 10–14 2 — 1 — 
			15–17 — 1 2 1 
			18–20 1 — 2 2 
			21 and over 4 4 7 7 
			Total 7 5 12 10 
		
	
	(114) These data are on the principal offence basis
	(115) Includes Metropolitan and City of London police force areas.

Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the date of appointment was of each member of the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs.

Paul Goggins: Members of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs are appointed by the Secretary of State as required by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and in accordance with the Code of Practice for the public appointments process issued by the Office of the Commissioner of Public Appointments.
	Members are ordinarily appointed for terms of three years each, subject to a maximum of 10 years. Details of the date of first appointment, number of terms served and date of last appointment of each current member is given in the table.
	
		Annex AAdvisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
		
			 Member No. of terms First appointed Reappointed 
		
		
			 Professor Sir Michael Rawlins (Chair) 2 1 November 1998 1 November 2002 
			 Dr. Dima Abdulrahim1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Lord Victor Adebowale1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Mr. Martin Barnes(116) — 1 January 2005 — 
			 Dr. Margaret Birtwistle1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Reverend Martin Blakebrough 2 1 January 1999 1 January 2005 
			 Dr. Cecilia Bottomley 1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Ms Carmel Clancy 1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Professor Ilana Crome 1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Ms Robyn Doran 1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Ms Dianne Draper(116) — 1 January 2005 — 
			 Mr. Robert Eschle 1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Professor Hugh Edmondson 1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Ms Vivienne Evans 2 1 January 1999 1 January 2005 
			 Professor C. Robin Ganellin FRS 1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Dr. Clare Gerada(116) — 1 January 2005 — 
			 Dr. Laurence Gruer 3 1 January 1996 1 January 2005 
			 Mr. Paul Hayes 2 1 January 1999 1 January 2005 
			 Mr. Andrew Hayman 1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Mr. Russell Hayton 2 1 January 1999 1 January 2005 
			 Ms Caroline Healy(116) — 1 January 2005 — 
			 Dr. Matthew Hickman(116)— 1 January 2005 — 
			 Mr. Alan Hunter 2 1 January 1999 1 January 2005 
			 Professor Leslie Iversen(116)— 1 January 2005 — 
			 His Honour Judge Thomas Joseph 1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Dr. John Marsden 1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Mr. Peter Martin 1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Professor David Nutt 2 1 March 2000 1 January 2005 
			 Dr. Richard Pates 1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Mr. Trevor Pearce 1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Mrs Kay Roberts 2 1 January 1999 1 January 2005 
			 Dr. Roy Robertson 3 1 January 1996 1 January 2005 
			 Dr. Mary Rowlands 1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Dr. Polly Taylor 1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Ms Monique Tomlinson1 1 January 2002 1 January 2005 
			 Mr. Arthur Wing(116) — 1 January 2005 — 
		
	
	(116) Indicates new member

Alcohol-related Crime

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been in Cambridgeshire for (a) permitting drunkenness or riotous conduct on the premises or selling liquor to a drunken person, (b) selling intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 years for consumption on the premises, (c) wholesalers selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18 years and (d) delivery of alcohol to a person under 18 years or allowing such delivery in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: Information on number of defendants proceeded against at Cambridgeshire magistrates courts, between 1997 and 2003, for selling intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 years for consumption on the premises, is provided in the table. There were no prosecutions in Cambridgeshire for the other offences during this period.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at Cambridgeshire magistrates courts for selling etc intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises' under the Licensing Act 1964 S.169 A and B as added by Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 S.11997–2003(117)
		
			  Proceeded against 
		
		
			 1997 2 
			 1998 7 
			 1999 — 
			 2000 4 
			 2001 2 
			 2002 — 
			 2003 — 
		
	
	(117) These data are on a principal offence basis.

Antisocial Behaviour

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been (a) dispersed, (b) arrested and (c) removed to their home address under the relevant powers contained in the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 in each month of 2004, broken down by (i) borough, (ii) age, (iii) ethnicity, (iv) offence and (v) outcome.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 18 July 2005
	This information is not collected centrally. It is estimated that dispersal powers have been authorised in over 400 areas in England and Wales between January 2004, when the powers came into force in September 2004. The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police tells me that, between January and December 2004, the Metropolitan Police authorised 63 dispersal areas under section 30 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. A breakdown by London borough is shown in the following table
	
		
			 London boroughs Number of dispersal areas January to December 2004 
		
		
			 Barnet 1 
			 Brent 2 
			 Bromley 6 
			 Camden 2 
			 Croydon 4 
			 Dagenham 2 
			 Ealing 5 
			 Enfield 4 
			 Greenwich 1 
			 Hackney 1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3 
			 Haringey 1 
			 Hillingdon 5 
			 Hounslow 3 
			 Islington 4 
			 Lambeth 2 
			 Lewisham 1 
			 Merton 2 
			 Newham 1 
			 Redbridge 2 
			 Richmond 3 
			 Romford 1 
			 Tower Hamlets 2 
			 Waltham Forest 1 
			 Wandsworth 1 
			 Westminster 3 
			 Total 63

Antisocial Behaviour

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to introduce across the country mediation schemes aimed at individuals who exhibit antisocial behaviour.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office has no plans to introduce mediation schemes aimed at individuals across the country who exhibit antisocial behaviour. The Government response to the Home Affairs Select Committee published in June 2005 addressed this point after it had been raised during the Committee's inquiry into antisocial behaviour.
	The Government explained that mediation can form an important part of a tiered approach to tackling antisocial behaviour. However we would not wish to advocate one single response approach as this might not be applicable to all local circumstances.
	Mediation also forms part of our advice to practitioners on the preventative and support measures as part of the TOGETHER campaign.

Antisocial Behaviour

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state how many antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) have been issued in (a) Birmingham and (b) Solihull in each year since the creation of ASBOs.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the table.
	
		Number of ASBOs applied for and issued, as notified to the Home Office, where restrictions are imposed within specific local authority areas from 1 April 1999(118)(119) to 31 December 2004(latest available)
		
			 Area/year Total ASBOs issued on application/on conviction 
		
		
			 Birmingham city council  
			 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 (120)— 
			 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2000 3 
			 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 13 
			 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002 10 
			 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 25 
			 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004 72 
			 Total (121)123 
			   
			 Solihull metropolitan borough council  
			 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 (120)— 
			 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2000 0 
			 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 0 
			 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002 1 
			 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 5 
			 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004 17 
			 Total (122)23 
		
	
	(118) ASBOs introduced from 1 April 1999 under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
	(119) Between 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 data were collected on aggregate numbers only by police force area (pfa). 11 ASBOs were issued within the West Midlands pfa within this period.
	(120) Not known
	(121) Includes 25 orders where restrictions include the whole of England and Wales and four orders which include the whole of the West Midlands.
	(122) Includes two orders where restrictions include the whole of England and Wales and one order which includes the whole of the West Midlands.

Antisocial Behaviour

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in (a) South Cambridgeshire, (b) East Cambridgeshire and (c) Cambridgeshire in each year since they were introduced.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the following table.
	
		The number of ASBOs applied for and issued, as notified to the Home Office, within Cambridgeshire and where restrictions are imposed within specific local authority areas from1 April 1999(123) to 31 December 2004 (latest available)
		
			 Area/year Total ASBOs issued on application/on conviction 
		
		
			 Cambridgeshire  
			 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 5 
			 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2000 1 
			 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 2 
			 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002 2 
			 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 14 
			 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004 24 
			 Total (124)48 
			   
			 South Cambridgeshire district council  
			 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 (125)— 
			 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2000 0 
			 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 0 
			 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002 0 
			 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 0 
			 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004 0 
			 Total 0 
			   
			 East Cambridgeshire district council  
			 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 (125)— 
			 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2000 0 
			 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 0 
			 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002 0 
			 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 0 
			 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004 0 
			 Total 0 
		
	
	(123) ASBOs introduced from 1 April 1999 under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
	(124) Includes four orders where restrictions apply to the whole of England and Wales and eight orders which apply to the whole of the county.
	(125) Not known.

Asylum Seekers

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the total number of failed asylum seekers in (a) the UK and (b) each county.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
	The recent National Audit Office report "Returning failed asylum applicants" acknowledges that the number of failed asylum seekers in the UK is impossible to determine as some will have left the country of their own accord.
	No Government have ever been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of failed asylum seekers who are in the country illegally. By its very nature it is impossible to quantify accurately, and that remains the case. We do not know how many failed asylum seekers remain in the country, because there is no means of counting those who leave the country on their own accord without informing the immigration authorities.
	Information on the number of removals of failed asylum seekers is published quarterly and annually, on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Asylum Seekers

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Zimbabweans have been removed to Zimbabwe and to Malawi in each of the past six months.

Tony McNulty: The latest published information on removal of asylum seekers covers the first quarter of 2005.
	The number of persons removed of Zimbabwean nationality, for the six months from October 2004 until March 2005, by destination is shown in the table. These figures include people departing voluntarily after enforcement action has been initiated against them and people leaving under assisted voluntary returns programmes run by the International Organization for Migration. Figures have been rounded to the nearest five.
	Information on removals of asylum seekers for the second quarter of 2005 will be published in August on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		Removals and voluntary departures(126) of asylum applicants, excluding dependants, nationals of Zimbabwe, October 2004 to March 2005, by destination(127) Number of principal applicants
		
			  Total of whom returned to 
			  persons(128)(129) Zimbabwe Malawi 
		
		
			 October 2004 10 10 — 
			 November 2004 10 10 — 
			 December 2004 30 30 — 
			 January 2005 35 35 — 
			 February 2005 20 20 — 
			 March 2005 40 35 * 
		
	
	(126) Includes persons departing "voluntarily" after enforcement action had been initiated against them, persons leaving under assisted voluntary return programmes run by the International Organization for Migration, and removals on safe third country grounds.
	2 Provisional figures.
	(127) Figures rounded to the nearest five, with * = 1 or 2 and — = 0, may not sum due to rounding.
	(128) Figures exclude dependants of asylum seekers removed.

Child Protection

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to strengthen child protection on the internet.

Paul Goggins: The Government are determined to do everything they can to protect children from the insidious use of the internet by paedophiles.
	We have established the Task Force on Child Protection on the internet which includes representatives of the industry, the police, children's charities, MPs from the main parties and others, as a forum where ideas to protect children and promote safe use of the internet can be discussed and developed. Among the many initiatives to come out of the task force's work, the Home Office has run four public awareness campaigns to reinforce the basic safety messages to parents and children, has developed various models of good practice including access to content through mobile phones, and is close to finalising documents covering moderated chat and search services. The industry has worked, through the Internet Watch Foundation, to virtually eliminate hosting of illegal images of child abuse by UK companies and a number of providers have developed solutions to block access to material hosted overseas.
	The Sexual Offences Act 2003, which came into force on 1 May 2004, made grooming a child, both offline and online, an offence, punishable by up to 10 years in jail. We have increased the maximum sentences for possession and distribution of indecent images of children (offences for possession from six months to five years and for production and distribution offences from three years' imprisonment to 10 years).
	We also announced in April that we will set up a new Centre for Child Protection on the internet to support the police and child protection agencies. The centre will target paedophiles using the internet to distribute illegal images and "groom" children, and aims to reduce the harm caused to children, families and the wider community by child abuse facilitated by misuse of the internet. The centre will also include the Secretariat to the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies seeking to share lessons learned from investigations into on-line child abuse around the world.
	This is an international issue and we continue to take a lead within international fora in tackling this problem, for example through the G8 where Ministers have recently committed to the development of an international database of child abuse images, and through initiatives such as a joint EU Presidency/Virtual Global Taskforce Conference to be held on 14–16 November in Belfast.

Civil Participation (Faith Communities)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policies he is pursuing to encourage greater participation in civil society by faith communities; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Faith communities play an important role in building strong active communities and provide benefits to wider society.
	Through the "Working Together" framework Government are improving consultation and engagement with faith communities across Whitehall.
	In addition, the Government actively encourages and supports faith communities to contribute to community cohesion through its strategy "Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society", which focuses on improving the life chances of the most disadvantaged communities. The £3 million capacity building fund, announced as part of this strategy, will assist faith communities to participate more effectively in civil society.

Correspondence

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will reply to the letter of the right hon. Member for Rotherham sent on 13 December 2004 requesting the return of identity documents to Mr. Iskaudar Anwar Raouf.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 21 July 2005
	I wrote to my hon. Friend to clarify Mr. Raouf's immigration status on 21 July 2005. A letter was also sent by recorded delivery to Mr. Raouf's legal representatives on 20 July 2005, enclosing documents confirming his immigration status.

Crime

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish figures for the number of recorded offences of (a) violence against the person, (b) sexual offences, (c) robberies, (d) burglaries, (e) theft of a vehicle, (f) theft from a vehicle in (i) Birmingham and (ii) Solihull crime and disorder reduction partnership areas, in each year since 1998.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the tables. Data at Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area level is only available from 1999–2000. The National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) was introduced on one April 2002 and figures before and after that date are not directly comparable. It is estimated that the effect of the introduction nationally of the NCRS was a 23 percent. increase in recorded violence against the person in its first year.
	The introduction of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in May 2004 resulted in substantial changes in the sexual offences group which mean that figures for 2004–05 are not comparable with those for previous years.
	
		Table 1: Recorded offences in the Birmingham Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area—1999–2000 to 2001–02 -- Number of offences
		
			 Period Violence against the person Sexual offences Robbery Burglary in a dwelling Theft of a vehicle Theft from a vehicle 
		
		
			 1999–2000 16,723 931 6,375 15,793 14,461 19,851 
			 2000–01 19,854 1,061 6,835 13,770 12,021 17,075 
			 2001–02 23,137 1,362 7,915 14,314 11,012 16,687 
		
	
	Note:
	The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	
		Table 2: Recorded offences in the Birmingham Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area—2002–03 to 2004–05 -- Number of offences
		
			 Period Violence against the person Sexual offences Robbery Burglary in a dwelling Theft of a vehicle Theft from a vehicle 
		
		
			 2002–03 22,002 1,340 5,976 11,811 10,244 15,745 
			 2003–04 23,903 1,377 6,164 12,170 9,811 13,949 
			 2004–05 24,036 1,446 5,135 8,250 7,248 10,583 
		
	
	Note:
	The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.
	
		Table 3: Recorded offences in the Solihull Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area—1999–2000 to 2001–02 -- Number of offences
		
			 Period Violence against the person Sexual offences Robbery Burglary in a dwelling Theft of a vehicle Theft from a vehicle 
		
		
			 1999–2000 2,225 105 324 1,904 1,850 3,658 
			 2000–01 2,543 107 467 1,765 1,522 3,467 
			 2001–02 2,382 126 663 1,815 1,377 3,147 
		
	
	Note:
	1. The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	
		Table 4: Recorded offences in the Solihull Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area—2002–03 to 2004–05 -- Number of offences
		
			 Period Violence against the person Sexual offences Robbery Burglary in a dwelling Theft of a vehicle Theft from a vehicle 
		
		
			 2002–03 2,597 129 452 1,645 1,301 3,451 
			 2003–04 2,936 168 449 1,687 1,041 3,221 
			 2004–05 2,974 198 529 1,270 900 2,572 
		
	
	Note:
	The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Crime

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals have been (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted under the Mobile Telephones (Reprogramming) Act 2002.

Hazel Blears: The available information taken from the Home Office court proceedings database shows the number of defendants proceeded against and found guilty in 2003 for offences under the Mobile Telephones (Reprogramming) Act 2002.
	Data for 2004 will be available in the autumn.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Mobile Telephones (Re-programming) Act 2002, England and Wales 2003(129)
		
			 Offence Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 Re-programming mobile telephone etc 11 3 
			 Possession or supply of anything for re-programming purposes 4 1 
		
	
	(129) These data are on the principal offence basis.

Crime

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the value of the illegal drugs trade in (a) Huddersfield, (b) Yorkshire and (c) England in the past 10 years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not routinely collected, although in 2001 the Home Office published a report that provided an estimate of the total value of the illegal drugs market in the UK. The report is available on the RDS website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/occ74-drugs.pdf. It shows that the estimated total value of the UK market in 1998 was £6.6 billion.

Crime

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the crime detection rates for (a) violence against the person, (b) sexual offences, (c) robberies, (d) burglaries, (e) theft of a vehicle and (f) theft from a vehicle were for (i) Guildford and (ii) Waverley crime and disorder reduction partnership areas in 2004–05.

Hazel Blears: Detection data are not recorded for crime and disorder reduction partnerships.

Crime Detection Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the crime detection rates for (a) violence against the person, (b) sexual offences, (c) robberies, (d) burglaries, (e) theft of a vehicle and (f) theft from a vehicle, were in each of the basic command unit areas that cover Birmingham and Solihull in each year since 1998.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the tables. Data at Basic Command Unit level is only available from 1999–2000. It is estimated that the effect of the introduction nationally of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in April 2002 was a 23 per cent. increase in recorded violence against the person in its first year. This will also have impacted on detection rates. The introduction of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in May 2004 resulted in substantial changes to the sexual offences. This means that figures for 2004–05 are not comparable with those for previous years.
	
		Table 1: Percentage of offences detected in the basic command units covering the Birmingham area 1999–2000 to 2001–02 -- Percentage detected
		
			 Period Violence against the person Sexual offences Robbery Burglary in a dwelling Theft of a vehicle Theft from a vehicle 
		
		
			 1999–2000 72 56 15 16 11 6 
			 2000–01 70 51 18 15 12 6 
			 2001–02 69 n/a 18 18 16 6 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	2. n/a = Not available.
	
		Table 2: Percentage of offences detected in the basic command units covering the Birmingham area 2002–03 to 2004–05 -- Percentage detected
		
			 Period Violence against the person Sexual offences Robbery Burglary in a dwelling Theft of a vehicle Theft from a vehicle 
		
		
			 2002–03 56 41 21 18 16 8 
			 2003–04(130) 48 38 22 20 16 8 
			 2004–05(131) 43 29 21 11 10 5 
		
	
	(130) The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.
	(131) The introduction of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in May 2004 resulted in substantial changes to the sexual offences. This means that figures for 2004–05 are not comparable with those for previous years.
	
		Table 3: Percentage of offences detected in the Solihull basic command unit 1999–2000 to 2001–02 -- Percentage detected
		
			 Period Violence against the person Sexual offences Robbery Burglary in a dwelling Theft of a vehicle Theft from a vehicle 
		
		
			 1999–2000 73 54 25 21 23 9 
			 2000–01 72 64 31 15 17 10 
			 2001–02 71 n/a 20 23 22 9 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	2. n/a = Not available.
	
		Table 4: Percentage of offences detected in the Solihull basic command unit 2002–03 to 2004–05 -- Percentage detected
		
			 Period Violence against the person Sexual offences Robbery Burglary in a dwelling Theft of a vehicle Theft from a vehicle 
		
		
			 2002–03 60 47 23 16 23 8 
			 2003–04(132) 49 32 21 17 18 6 
			 2004–05(133) 43 24 18 8 12 2 
		
	
	(132) The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.
	(133) The introduction of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in May 2004 resulted in substantial changes to the sexual offences. This means that figures for 2004–05 are not comparable with those for previous years.

Crime Detection Rates

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many defendants were (a) convicted and (b) not convicted in the Suffolk constabulary area in each of the last eight years.

Paul Goggins: Data from the Home Office Court Proceedings database on the number of defendants convicted and not convicted at all courts in the Suffolk constabulary area 1996 to 2003 is contained in the table. Statistics for 2004 court proceedings will be available in the autumn.
	
		Defendents convicted and not convicted at all courts in Suffolk police force area,1996–2003(134)
		
			  Convicted Not convicted(135) 
		
		
			 1996 14,405 1,031 
			 1997 13,963 883 
			 1998 14,677 886 
			 1999 14,901 997 
			 2000 14,434 1,102 
			 2001 14,638 1,219 
			 2002 15,953 1,312 
			 2003 16,098 1,316 
		
	
	(134) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(135) Includes those cases acquitted at the Crown court, discharged or dismissed at the magistrates courts.

Crime Detection Rates

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on levels of (a) violent crime, (b) sexual crime, (c) car crime, (d) robbery and (e) burglary in the Forest of Dean constituency.

Hazel Blears: Statistics covering 2003–04 and 2004–05 have been published for the offences requested for the Forest of Dean Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area. In addition to actual number of offences recorded, the statistics give percentage changes for the periods covered and rates per 1,000 population.
	The CDRP data is available on the Home Office website as a supplementary table to "Crime in England and Wales 2004–05". The publication itself can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0405.html.

Cycling Offences

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cyclists were (a) charged and (b) convicted of passing a traffic light at red in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: Information on the number of people charged is not centrally collected.
	Passing a red traffic light is not a specific offence, however it is included in the offence of neglect of traffic directions under the Road Traffic Act 1988 SS.35 and 36. The relevant data for 1999–2003 are provided in the table.
	Statistics for 2004 will be available in the autumn.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for neglect of traffic regulations under the Road Traffic Act 1988 Sections 35 and 36England and Wales 1999–2003(136)
		
			  Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 1999 63 60 
			 2000 52 47 
			 2001 38 34 
			 2002 19 16 
			 2003 38 31 
		
	
	(136) These data are on a principal offence basis.
	Note:
	Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.

Departmental Expenditure

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total spending by his Department on (a) staff, (b) accommodation and (c) procurement in (i) Dundee East constituency, (ii) Tayside and (iii) the City of Dundee was for the most recent year for which figures are available.

Charles Clarke: The Home Office does not retain information by constituency. The Departmental Report 2004–05 page 128 Table 6.6 identifies expenditure on services, by country which includes the figures for Scotland only.

Departmental Expenditure

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies spent on (i) electricity and (ii) water and sewerage services in each year from 1997.

Charles Clarke: The table shows expenditure on electricity and water for the years 1997–98 onwards. The departmental electricity and water expenditure for key Home Office (non prisons) buildings for 2004–05 is not yet available. The figures for the Home Office (non prisons) includes key sites on the Department's other agency estates. Separate figures for these agency sites could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		£
		
			  Home Office (non prisons)(137) HM Prison Service 
			  Electricity Water Electricity Water 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,373,063 (138)— 14,448,221 10,511,619 
			 1998–99 1,441,853 (138)— 14,017,081 11,171,786 
			 1999–2000 1,928,377 311,947 15,533,183 11,311,562 
			 2000–01 2,017,331 351,987 16,823,070 9,491,363 
			 2001–02 2,562,161 323,350 12,645,259 10,041,407 
			 2002–03 2,576,900 175,993 12,477,271 10,761,183 
			 2003–04 2,783,686 192,341 13,814,118 11,126,677 
			 2004–05 (138)— (138)— 16,267,718 11,376,869 
		
	
	(137) These costs relate to key buildings only.
	(138) Not available.

Detection Rates

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on detection rates of (a) violent crime, (b) sexual crime, (c) car crime, (d) robbery and (e) burglary in the Forest of Dean constituency.

Hazel Blears: Statistics covering detection rates 2003–04 and 2004–05 have been published for the offences requested for the Forest and Gloucester Basic Command Unit (BCU). In addition to the detection rates, the actual number of offences recorded and detected are also provided. The BCU data is available on the Home Office website as a supplementary table to "Crime in England and Wales 2004/05". The publication itself can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0405.html

Drug Use/Gun Crime

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has commissioned on the relationship between drug use and gun crime.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 21 July 2005
	The Home Office sponsored New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (NEW-ADAM) survey, which involved interviewing and drug testing those arrested by the police, included questions on carrying guns. A paper based on the data has been published by T. H. Bennett and K. Holloway, "Possession and use of illegal guns among criminals in England and Wales" (Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, Vol 43, No three, pp 237–252). The Home Office has also conducted an Arrestee Survey which may highlight this issue. The results of this survey will be published later this year. There have also been discussions in the context of the Home Secretary's round table on gun crime, which has looked at possible links and appropriate interventions.
	This research is used to inform policy and legislative proposals. The Violent Crime Reduction Bill includes a number of measures designed to further tighten the firearms legislation, including a ban on the manufacture, import or sale of realistic imitation firearms, an increase from a maximum of six to 12 months sentence for carrying an imitation firearm in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, and an increase in the minimum age for possession of an air weapon to 18. The Bill also includes a new offence of using another person to look after, hide or transport a dangerous weapon. These measures complement existing legislation and demonstrate our determination to tackle gun crime.

Faith Awareness Training

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil servants in the Department received faith awareness training in 2004.

Paul Goggins: The Home Office holds an annual diversity week to raise staff awareness of all diversity issues including faith. In 2004, diversity week included presentations on Buddhism, a Ramadan awareness session, business planning/managing workload around religious festivals and visits to different places of worship.
	The Home Office has also published "A brief guide to Major Religious and Cultural Observance in the UK" that gives information on the 11 most observed religions or cultures in the UK. The guide is intended to assist managers when considering applications for leave for religious or cultural occasions or when scheduling meetings or other events. The Home Office publishes a notice each year giving specific dates for each of the religious festivals detailed in the guide.

Fly-tipping

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of fly-tipping were reported in Cambridgeshire in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not collected centrally. "Unauthorised dumping" is an offence under Section 2 of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978. It is a summary offence and is not included in the recorded crime statistics.

Fly-tipping

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions for fly-tipping there were in Cambridgeshire in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: The available information is contained in the following table and gives the number of defendants proceeded against for "fly-tipping" offences for Cambridgeshire police force area, 1997 to 2003. Statistics on court proceedings for 2004 will be published in the autumn.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for "fly-tipping" offences(139)(140), Cambridgeshire police force area,1997 to 2003
		
			  Proceeded against 
		
		
			 1997 4 
			 1998 9 
			 1999 3 
			 2000 1 
			 2001 — 
			 2002 — 
			 2003 — 
		
	
	(139) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(140) Includes offences under: Environmental Protection Act 1990, Secs 33 (6) (8) (9), 34 and 59.

Gun Crime

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2005, Official Report, column 530W, on gun crime, if he will publish the statistics for gun crime deaths by police force area.

Hazel Blears: The number of fatalities involving firearms, excluding air weapons, between 1999–2000 and 2003–04 is shown in the table.
	
		Fatalities involving firearms(141) (excluding air weapons) in England and Wales by police force
		
			 Police force area 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 0 2 0 6 3 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 0 2 0 0 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 2 0 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 1 0 0 2 
			 Dorset 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 1 2 1 0 
			 Essex 1 1 1 4 0 
			 Gloucestershire 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 9 10 11 6 8 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hampshire 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Hertfordshire 0 1 0 0 2 
			 Humberside 2 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 3 2 2 0 1 
			 Lancashire 2 2 1 1 1 
			 Leicestershire 2 0 1 0 1 
			 Lincolnshire 0 2 2 1 1 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 0 
			 London, Metropolitan 24 28 44 35 23 
			 Merseyside 3 3 6 5 5 
			 Norfolk 1 1 0 1 0 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 2 0 1 
			 Northumbria 4 2 0 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 0 1 3 3 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 1 0 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 2 0 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 1 1 0 
			 Suffolk 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Surrey 0 5 0 0 0 
			 Sussex 0 0 2 1 1 
			 Thames Valley 1 2 0 0 4 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 1 0 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Midlands 3 4 7 9 8 
			 West Yorkshire 1 3 7 1 4 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 1 0 0 
			   
			 England and Wales 62 72 96 80 68 
		
	
	(141) By weapons being fired, used as a blunt instrument or in a threat.

Identity Card Scheme

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will identify those items in the database of registerable facts associated with the identity card which are not considered to be personal data as defined in the Data Protection Act 1998; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The definition of "personal data" is set out in section one of the Data Protection Act. It is as follows.
	"Personal data" means data which relate to a living individual who can be identified:
	(a) from those data, or
	(b) from those data and other information which is in the possession of, or is likely to come into the possession of, the data controller, and includes any expression of opinion about the individual and any indication of the intentions of the data controller or any other person in respect of the individual.
	Whether or not data is personal therefore depends on whether it relates to an individual and whether he can be identified from that data either on its own or in conjunction with other data.
	The information which may be recorded in the National Identity Register is set out in schedule 1 of the Identity Cards Bill. Although much of the data held on the National Identity Register could not, on its own, identify the individual to whom it relates, some items of data in a person's entry on the register could be used, in conjunction with other data in his entry, to identify him.
	Any information recorded under paragraphs 1 to 4, 5(a) , 7(a) , 7(b) , 8 and 9 of schedule 1 will most likely fall within the definition of personal information. Any information recorded under paragraphs 5(b) , 5(c) ,6, 7(c) , 7(d) and 7(e) will most likely fall outside of the definition. Paragraph 5(c) allows for the recording of a person's date of death. Information which relates to a dead person is not personal data for the purposes of the Data Protection Act.
	None of the information listed in schedule 1 of the Identity Cards Bill falls within the definition of sensitive personal data as defined in the Data Protection Act.

Identity Card Scheme

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what methodology was used to arrive at the estimates contained in the document Identity Cards Scheme Benefits Overview on the financial benefits to (a) citizens, (b) the public sector and (c) the private sector; which (i) public, (ii) private and (iii) voluntary sector organisations were consulted as part of the research; how much the research cost to conduct; and what the duration of the research was from commissioning to completion.

Charles Clarke: The methodology used to calculate the Identity Card Scheme's financial and economic benefits is based on the Treasury's "Green Book: Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government" guidelines. This outlines how public sector proposals should be appraised before significant funds are committed.
	In addition, our estimates have been developed based on input from stakeholders based on a consistent set of assumptions. Associated costs, potential dis-benefits and risks are accounted for and updated regularly using best information available at the time. In the course of conducting our benefits research, the following organisations have been consulted:
	Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Driving Standards Authority, Office of e-Envoy, Department for Education and Skills (DfES), Confederation of British Industry, Department of Health (DoH), the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), Royal Mail, Post Office, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Department for Work and Pensions (DWPO, Bichard Projects involving CRB and DfES, Criminal Justice Information Technology (CJIT), UK Passport Service (UKPS), UK Visas, Board of Airline Representatives, British Air Transport Association, Office of National Statistics (ONS), Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), E-Borders Programme, Department for Transport (DfT), the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), Newham Council, Greenwich Council, Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Telecommunications UK Fraud Forum (TUFF), British Bankers Association, Association of Payment Clearance Services (APACS), Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance, Financial Services Authority(FSA).
	In addition, a consultation group of 35 employers were engaged through HMRC to discuss benefits relating to payroll and human resource management for the private sector.
	In the calculation of the benefits overview, no voluntary organisations have been involved to date. However, we are engaging a range of voluntary organisations with regard to requirements definition of the identity card scheme as a whole.
	Finally, members of the scheme's principal users group (PUG) and private sector user groups (PSUG) were either involved or informed of this work. The membership of these groups is as follows:
	PUG
	Cabinet Office, Department for Constitutional Affairs, Department for Education and Skills, Department for Transport, Department of Health, DVLA, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, Her Majesty's Treasury, IND, Local Government Association, the Northern Ireland Office, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Office for National Statistics, E-Government Unit, ACPO, RDS, Scottish Executive, UKPS, National Assembly of Wales.
	PSUG:
	Airbus, British Airways, BAA, BAE Systems, Bank of England, Barclays, BBC, BNFL, BP, BT, BT Syntegra, Eli Lilly, Experian, GlaxoSmithKline, HBOS, HSBC Holdings, Lloyds TSB, Pfizer, Pilkington, Proctor and Gamble, Rolls-Royce, Royal Bank of Scotland, Royal Mail, Sainsbury's, Shell, Standard Chartered Bank, Tesco, Unilever, Verisign, Visa International, Visa Europe, Vodaphone and YELL
	While exploratory work started in 2003, in-depth work on the calculations involved in the benefits overview commenced in July 2004. The work behind the benefits overview was conducted as part of the overall work of the identity cards programme team, not as a specific research project, and cannot be separately quantified.

Identity Card Scheme

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the types of crimes that would be preventable under the Identity Card Scheme.

Andy Burnham: The Identity Cards Programme has worked extensively with law enforcement agencies and a number of public and private sector organisations to consider how the Identity Cards Scheme will achieve its strategic objective of preventing crime.
	As a whole, the Identity Cards Scheme will put additional deterrents in place for those who might otherwise commit crimes. It will hinder the ability of criminals to operate by introducing a more reliable system of identity checks and by helping to prevent the use of false or multiple identities. It will also increase the likelihood of the criminal being caught by providing additional tools to law enforcement agencies to assist in their investigations.
	The "Identity Cards Scheme Benefits Overview", published on 28 June 2005, provides some specific examples of how the Scheme can prevent crime and in particular, identity fraud. Work is continuing with stakeholders in this area to understand how the Identity Cards Scheme can achieve further crime prevention objectives.

Immigration

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many qualified adjudication officers have been employed in the Immigration Department in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Table 1 shows the approximate number of full-time equivalent staff members deployed in initial decision-making areas, in case working grades in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, in each year since September 2000. Decision-making grades are administrative officer and executive officer and equivalent grades.
	
		Table 1
		
			 Date Asylum NASS MM IS 
		
		
			 September 2000 405 351 (142)1,099 2,453 
			 September 2001 410 399 (142)1,316 3,082 
			 September 2002 505 818 (143)1,899 3,324 
			 September 2003 400 718 1,208 3,869 
			 September 2004 345 711 1,355 4,006 
			 June 2005 (144)924 639 1,773 4,023 
		
	
	(142) ICD Croydon only.
	(143) ICD.
	(144) Includes appeals, which are not initial decision cases, in this figure for June 2005, only.
	Notes:
	1. NASS is the National Asylum Support Service which makes decisions on entitlement to support which are an ancillary decision to initial asylum decisions.
	2. MM is Managed Migration and the figures are for AO grade only.
	3. The headcount is the actual number of people employed by the organisation, some of whom will be part time, or on career breaks. The hours of those working part time are added together and divided by normal full-time working hours to arrive at the full-time equivalent.
	Historically, immigration staff-in-post data has not been collated by job type, but by grade and directorate. These figures therefore include some staff whose work supports the caseworkers. The numbers of those who work in the Immigration Service as Immigration Officers and Assistant Immigration Officers have also been shown because decisions at points of entry are significant initial decisions. Immigration Service staff are deployed on many various aspects of immigration control and it is not possible to identify particular numbers for particular types of work.
	The total number of staff employed by the Immigration and Nationality Department at the end of each financial year since 1997 is indicated in table 2. These figures include all elements of the work, not just initial decision areas.
	
		Table 2
		
			 As at 31 March Full-time equivalent Headcount 
		
		
			 1997 – 5,697 
			 1998 – 5,160 
			 1999 4,655 5,750 
			 2000 5,976 6,582 
			 2001 9,117 9,757 
			 2002 9,984 10,404 
			 2003 12,752 13,226 
			 2004 14,482 15,164 
			 2005 14,891 15,652

Improper Use of Internet

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list (a) UK and (b) EU (i) initiatives, (ii) programmes and (iii) laws under discussion concerning improper use of the internet.

Paul Goggins: The Government have always taken the view that all legislation must be robust enough to deal with offences whether they are committed on or off line. To this end there is a variety of legislation which deals with offences which can be commissioned utilising computer systems and networks, but which contain no specific reference to use of the internet.
	Initiatives and programmes under discussion on which the Home Office leads on this issue include: educating computer users about the risks of fraud committed using the internet through advice on the Home Office website on avoiding internet fraud; we have published jointly with APACS (the Association of Payment Clearing Services) a leaflet on card safety which includes a section on using cards safely over the internet; the Home Office has also created and maintains the "e-tailing" mini site www.crimereduction.gov.uk/etailing00.htm, which provides information to help both businesses and consumers protect themselves specifically when using the internet; and finally the Home Secretary's Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet seeks to protect children using the internet, and from abuse fuelled by criminal misuse of new technologies, and promote safe use of the internet.
	In respect of legislation under discussion being developed by the Home Office, the Government and the opposition are working together to develop three new offences that could relate to terrorists' use of the internet. These are: (1) Indirect incitement—covering any method of making a message available to the public which is intended to encourage others to engage in terrorist activities, while not directly calling upon them to do so; (2) Training in terrorist methods and techniques, and in making or using hazardous substances for terrorist purposes. This offence could be used if individuals take advantage of the internet to carry out such training; (3) Acts preparatory. This would target individuals and groups involved in preparing, instigating or conspiring to commit an act of terrorism. Where the internet is used in this process, such improper use could be targeted. In all three cases, intent to cause or facilitate terrorist activities would have to be proved.
	In addition, the Fraud Bill is seeking to ensure that use of computers or the internet to commit or facilitate fraud is criminalised in legislation, the Identity Cards Bill includes an offence of tampering with the National Identity Register including the unauthorised modification of its contents by electronic means, and Government will seek to make amendments to the Computer Misuse Act 1990 when parliamentary time allows.
	Within the EU the Safer Internet Programme is designed to complement legislative approaches to combating illegal and harmful material on the internet, by stimulating and supporting self-help and self-regulatory approaches. The original €38.3 million programme between 1999 and 2004: financed projects to create a safer environment via a European network of hot-lines to report illegal content; encouraged self-regulation and codes of conduct; developed filtering and rating systems; and encouraged awareness actions. The new programme, Safer Internet Plus, will run from 2005 to 2008 and has a €45 million budget. The proposed Safer Internet Plus programme aims to both build on its predecessor's achievements and meet new threats.

Kidnappings (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been kidnapped in London in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: The available information relates to recorded offences of kidnapping and is given in the tables. The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on one April 2002 and statistics before and after that date are not directly comparable.
	
		Table 1: Recorded offences of kidnapping in the London area(145)—1997 to 2001–02
		
			 Period Kidnapping (number of offences) 
		
		
			 1997 542 
			 1998–99 628 
			 1999–2000 787 
			 2000–01 890 
			 2001–02 1,095 
		
	
	(145) Includes the Metropolitan Police and City of London police.
	Note:
	The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	
		Table 2: Recorded offences of kidnapping in the London area(146)—2002–03 to 2004–05
		
			  Period Kidnapping (number of offences) 
		
		
			 2002–03 1,145 
			 2003–04 1,013 
			 2004–05 819 
		
	
	(146) Includes the Metropolitan Police and City of London police.
	Note:
	The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Police

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police community support officers have been introduced in (a) Dudley north and (b) the borough of Dudley; and what assessment he has made of the impact on crime and antisocial behaviour.

Hazel Blears: West Midlands constabulary had 219 community support officers (CSOs) on 31 March 2005. Information is not centrally collected about the number of CSOs in basic command units. Arrangements are being made to collect such data.
	We have commissioned a national evaluation of CSOs which will be published later this year. An interim report, "National Evaluation of Community Support Officers", published in December 2004 (available at www.policereform.gov.uk), indicated that CSOs are having a positive impact on some types of antisocial behaviour and lower level crime, for example vehicle related crime and personal robbery. The main aim of CSOs is to provide a visible and reassuring presence on the streets.

Police

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers there were in (a) Dudley north and (b) the borough of Dudley in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: Information on strength at basic command unit (BCD) level is collected annually and reflects the position at the end of March for each year. Information on BCU strength is only available from 2002 and is set out in a table, which will be placed in the Library. Information is not collected on the number of police officers at constituency level. Dudley is part of the J1 operational command unit (OCU) which also includes Sedgley and Brierley Hill.
	The deployment of officers to BCUs is a matter for the chief constable (Paul Scott-Lee) and within the "J1" OCU deployment of officers is a matter for the divisional commander.

Police

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each constabulary the number of assaults per head of population on (a) police officers and (b) police community support officers in each of the last three years.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the table. Figures for assaults on police officers are based on recorded crime data. Community support officers were introduced in September 2002 so only one year's data can be provided. These figures are taken from the police service strength returns.
	
		Table 1: Assaults on constables per 100,000 population
		
			 Police force area 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04(147) 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 21 27 36 
			 Bedfordshire 43 61 55 
			 Cambridgeshire 34 40 36 
			 Cheshire 56 63 73 
			 Cleveland 37 58 44 
			 Cumbria 42 37 37 
			 Derbyshire 65 89 41 
			 Devon and Cornwall 41 43 27 
			 Dorset 58 71 47 
			 Durham 206 182 31 
			 Dyfed-Powys 64 70 46 
			 Essex 22 31 36 
			 Gloucestershire 36 49 34 
			 Greater Manchester 76 81 32 
			 Gwent 91 108 57 
			 Hampshire 39 55 56 
			 Hertfordshire 37 43 68 
			 Humberside 61 87 50 
			 Kent 40 54 48 
			 Lancashire 96 109 57 
			 Leicestershire 36 48 46 
			 Lincolnshire 34 43 24 
			 London, City of(148) 612 625 436 
			 Merseyside 97 121 72 
			 Metropolitan Police 17 27 38 
			 Norfolk 55 69 55 
			 North Wales 66 83 37 
			 North Yorkshire 60 77 36 
			 Northamptonshire 49 56 48 
			 Northumbria 83 116 43 
			 Nottinghamshire 53 44 50 
			 South Wales 72 86 58 
			 South Yorkshire 60 54 34 
			 Staffordshire 62 76 50 
			 Suffolk 44 54 48 
			 Surrey 21 27 39 
			 Sussex 74 73 42 
			 Thames Valley 59 73 34 
			 Warwickshire 51 61 45 
			 West Mercia 67 73 45 
			 West Midlands 146 110 14 
			 West Yorkshire 71 81 30 
			 Wiltshire 47 56 44 
		
	
	(147) In April 2003, offences of obstructing a constable and resisting a constable in the execution of his/her duty were removed from the recorded crime series. Figures for 2003–04 may be affected by this.
	(148) Numbers are affected by the size of the resident population relative to the transient or visiting population and therefore over-represent the number of crimes relative to the real population.
	
		Table 2: Assaults on community support officers(149) per100,000 population
		
			 Police force area 2003–04 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 0.0 
			 Bedfordshire 0.0 
			 Cambridgeshire 0.0 
			 Cheshire 0.0 
			 Cleveland 0.2 
			 Cumbria 0.0 
			 Derbyshire 0.0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0.1 
			 Dorset 0.3 
			 Durham 0.0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0.0 
			 Essex 0.0 
			 Gloucestershire 0.4 
			 Greater Manchester 0.0 
			 Gwent 0.0 
			 Hampshire 0.0 
			 Hertfordshire 0.0 
			 Humberside 0.0 
			 Kent 0.0 
			 Lancashire 0.0 
			 Leicestershire 0.3 
			 Lincolnshire 0.0 
			 London, City of 0.0 
			 Merseyside 0.1 
			 Metropolitan Police 0.0 
			 Norfolk 0.0 
			 North Wales 0.0 
			 North Yorkshire 0.0 
			 Northamptonshire 0.0 
			 Northumbria 0.0 
			 Nottinghamshire 0.0 
			 South Wales 0.2 
			 South Yorkshire 0.0 
			 Staffordshire 0.0 
			 Suffolk 0.1 
			 Surrey 0.4 
			 Sussex 0.3 
			 Thames Valley 0.0 
			 Warwickshire 0.0 
			 West Mercia 0.0 
			 West Midlands 0.0 
			 West Yorkshire 0.7 
			 Wiltshire 0.2 
		
	
	(149) Community support officers first introduced in September 2002

Police

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding has been (a) spent on and (b) committed to policing schemes within each growth area.

Hazel Blears: Government grants since 2003–04 to the eight police forces covering the four designated housing growth areas of Ashford, London-Stansted-Cambridge-Peterborough (LSCP), Milton Keynes-South Midlands (MKSM) and Thames Gateway are set out in the table.
	Allocation of these resources and appropriate budget management are matters for each Chief Constable and Police Authority, who will make decisions according to local plans and operational priorities.
	
		£ million
		
			  2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 
			  General government grants(150) Specific grants and capital support(151) General government grants(150) Specific grants and capital support(151) General government grants(150) Specific grants and capital support(151) 
		
		
			 Bedfordshire Police 60.14 6.52 62.11 6.64 64.92 7.16 
			 Cambridgeshire Constabulary 71.07 8.31 73.41 9.67 77.88 8.95 
			 Essex Police 155.87 15.85 160.93 14.57 166.97 16.80 
			 Hertfordshire Police 101.52 8.28 104.83 8.69 108.79 9.88 
			 Kent Police 176.84 24.41 182.61 19.00 189.47 19.24 
			 Metropolitan Police 1,764.05 263.22 1,821.98 281.58 1,927.81 288.57 
			 Northamptonshire Police 62.22 9.32 64.27 7.45 67.78 7.56 
			 Thames Valley Police 205.94 23.69 212.65 24.69 220.63 26.26 
		
	
	(150) Comprises Home Office principal police grant and ODPM Revenue Support Grant and redistributed business rates.
	(151) Includes Crime Fighting Fund, Rural Policing Fund, Basic Command Unit funding, Community Support Officer funding (including, for 2004–05 and 2005–06, Round 1 of the Neighbourhood Policing Fund), Airwave, DMA Expansion Programme, Street Crime Initiative, Special Priority Payments, Counter Terrorism funding (MPS only) and capital grants.

Police Performance

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) the six areas where, according to page 47 of the Home Office Annual Report 2004–05, performance is below the baseline and (b) the 18 areas defined as worst performing.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office SR2002 Public Service Agreement sets a target to "Improve the delivery of justice by increasing the number of crimes for which an offender is brought to justice to 1.15 million by 2005–06; with an improvement in all CJS areas, a greater increase in the worst performing areas and a reduction in the proportion of ineffective trials".
	The worst performing areas were determined in September 2003 by two measures: the percentage of recorded crime that was brought to justice; and the number of offences brought to justice per police officer (excluding officers in their probationary period). The CJ areas which fell below the England and Wales average were defined as "worse performing".
	The areas that were defined as "worst performing" were: Avon and Somerset, Greater Manchester, Humberside, London, Merseyside, Nottinghamshire, Thames Valley, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Lincolnshire, Northampton and Surrey.
	The target will be met if the average performance improvement achieved by the worse performing areas is greater than the national average performance improvement by 2005–06, as compared with the baseline year 2001–02.
	In December 2004 six areas were performing below the baseline year. These were: Durham, Dyfed Powys, Gloucestershire, Gwent, Northumbria and West Midlands.

Police Performance

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there have been per 1000 population in each police force in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 21 July 2005
	The information requested is available annually in a Home Office Statistical Bulletin on Police Service Strength. The latest information was published on 29 September 2004 in Home Office Statistical Bulletin number 13/04, "Police Service Strength England and Wales, 31 March 2004'.
	This and earlier bulletins can be found on website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/index.htm

Police Performance

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers (a) have taken early retirement, (b) have retired and (c) have left the force for reasons other than retirement or early retirement for each police force in each of the last three years; and what the average length of service is of a police officer for each category, broken down by police force area.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 21 July 2005
	A full breakdown of reasons for leaving by police officers has only been collected centrally since 31 March 2003. Prior to that date the breakdown was limited to retirements, resignations and other wastage. The following table provides the full breakdown requested for the last two years and a limited breakdown for data as at 31 March 2002.
	Information on length of service on leaving is collected in groups of years. This means average length of service of a police officer on leaving is not available.
	
		Police officer wastage
		
			  Early retirements (medical) Ordinary retirements 
			  2002–03 2003–04 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 34 10 77 55 
			 Bedfordshire 7 1 25 26 
			 Cambridgeshire 8 4 36 37 
			 Cheshire 27 15 66 51 
			 Cleveland 18 11 32 33 
			 Cumbria 7 4 30 28 
			 Derbyshire 12 2 66 52 
			 Devon and Cornwall 10 6 90 81 
			 Dorset 3 9 33 36 
			 Durham 12 6 40 34 
			 Dyfed-Powys 11 7 24 18 
			 Essex 22 16 58 71 
			 Gloucestershire 13 5 35 18 
			 Greater Manchester 33 10 165 130 
			 Gwent 22 8 24 41 
			 Hampshire 11 11 121 98 
			 Hertfordshire 7 3 45 43 
			 Humberside 10 2 51 45 
			 Kent 21 9 85 85 
			 Lancashire n/a 13 n/a 66 
			 Leicestershire 9 6 49 32 
			 Lincolnshire 10 3 37 30 
			 London, City of 7 8 15 18 
			 Merseyside 51 25 103 87 
			 Metropolitan Police 156 60 495 519 
			 Norfolk 13 6 52 26 
			 Northamptonshire 3 3 28 24 
			 Northumbria 29 9 77 88 
			 North Wales 16 6 36 0 
			 North Yorkshire 9 8 27 33 
			 Nottinghamshire 34 12 54 67 
			 South Wales 33 14 70 94 
			 South Yorkshire 13 12 93 89 
			 Staffordshire 22 14 57 44 
			 Suffolk 12 8 34 28 
			 Surrey 12 10 45 34 
			 Sussex 9 4 81 84 
			 Thames Valley 29 17 99 91 
			 Warwickshire 8 4 21 22 
			 West Mercia 20 11 55 48 
			 West Midlands 21 13 175 143 
			 West Yorkshire 23 11 154 129 
			 Wiltshire 13 2 31 27 
		
	
	
		
			  Total retirements Leaving other than retirement 
			  2001–02(152) 2002–03 2003–04 2001–02(153) 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 121 111 65 35 95 79 
			 Bedfordshire 26 32 27 24 60 77 
			 Cambridgeshire 43 44 41 36 63 54 
			 Cheshire 78 93 66 12 20 43 
			 Cleveland 57 50 44 20 11 38 
			 Cumbria 30 37 32 11 22 16 
			 Derbyshire 56 78 54 7 32 32 
			 Devon and Cornwall 96 100 87 32 54 41 
			 Dorset 58 36 45 36 32 30 
			 Durham 51 52 40 14 22 38 
			 Dyfed-Powys 21 35 25 23 20 15 
			 Essex 72 80 87 75 135 120 
			 Gloucestershire 49 48 23 14 35 34 
			 Greater Manchester 176 198 140 98 177 191 
			 Gwent 79 46 49 20 15 24 
			 Hampshire 121 132 109 49 93 123 
			 Hertfordshire 65 52 46 48 138 112 
			 Humberside 64 61 47 19 43 50 
			 Kent 139 106 94 81 109 132 
			 Lancashire 107 n/a 79 70 n/a 47 
			 Leicestershire 52 58 38 40 69 48 
			 Lincolnshire 50 47 33 15 26 28 
			 London, City of 32 22 26 21 37 30 
			 Merseyside 163 154 112 28 42 64 
			 Metropolitan Police 717 651 579 545 1,093 998 
			 Norfolk 51 65 32 23 27 19 
			 Northamptonshire 28 31 27 14 25 46 
			 Northumbria 107 106 97 54 58 85 
			 North Wales 51 52 6 11 25 51 
			 North Yorkshire 53 36 41 15 22 33 
			 Nottinghamshire 87 88 79 51 49 45 
			 South Wales 101 103 108 40 50 39 
			 South Yorkshire 133 106 101 38 66 62 
			 Staffordshire 63 79 58 42 52 45 
			 Suffolk 36 46 36 24 39 39 
			 Surrey 62 57 44 43 190 104 
			 Sussex 98 90 88 88 154 202 
			 Thames Valley 104 128 108 65 242 210 
			 Warwickshire 27 29 26 20 29 30 
			 West Mercia 80 75 59 37 41 64 
			 West Midlands 216 196 156 278 331 294 
			 West Yorkshire 223 177 140 101 80 109 
			 Wiltshire 32 44 29 28 38 37 
		
	
	(152) For 2001–02 no breakdown of retirements available.
	(153) Does not include transfers to other England and Wales forces.

Police Performance

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been recruited per police force area in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 21 July 2005
	The available information is given in the following table. Due to changes in the data collection, figures for 2002–03 and 2003–04 are not comparable to previous recruitment figures as data includes transfers from other England and Wales forces and officers returning after a period of secondment.
	
		Police officer recruitment for 2001–02 and police officer joiners from 2002–03
		
			  2001–02 2002–03(154) 2003–04(154) 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 274 264 389 
			 Bedfordshire 131 136 186 
			 Cambridgeshire 134 139 137 
			 Cheshire 158 198 167 
			 Cleveland 105 143 172 
			 Cumbria 84 108 136 
			 Derbyshire 112 283 161 
			 Devon and Cornwall 181 335 243 
			 Dorset 99 111 105 
			 Durham 86 131 120 
			 Dyfed-Powys 87 87 72 
			 Essex 233 296 335 
			 Gloucestershire 78 139 123 
			 Greater Manchester 583 546 1,059 
			 Gwent 107 89 100 
			 Hampshire 211 444 317 
			 Hertfordshire 183 320 297 
			 Humberside 237 152 206 
			 Kent 286 370 326 
			 Lancashire 203 224 332 
			 Leicestershire 150 181 236 
			 Lincolnshire 61 103 67 
			 London, City of 71 116 98 
			 Merseyside 201 174 221 
			 Metropolitan Police 2,554 3,489 3,362 
			 Norfolk 99 128 82 
			 Northamptonshire 96 68 118 
			 Northumbria 223 266 226 
			 North Wales 90 133 115 
			 North Yorkshire 99 97 128 
			 Nottinghamshire 226 218 155 
			 South Wales 185 269 187 
			 South Yorkshire 181 172 293 
			 Staffordshire 125 245 170 
			 Suffolk 137 133 133 
			 Surrey 225 187 160 
			 Sussex 226 357 355 
			 Thames Valley 321 458 520 
			 Warwickshire 72 91 66 
			 West Mercia 147 405 180 
			 West Midlands 676 792 643 
			 West Yorkshire 371 434 511 
			 Wiltshire 107 96 127 
			 Total 10,215 13,126 13,137 
		
	
	(154) Not comparable to previous recruitment figures as data includes transfers from other England and Wales forces and officers returning after a period of secondment.

Police Performance

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding each police force (a) should have received under the Government's formula and (b) received in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 21 July 2005
	The information is set out in the table.
	Government funding for police authorities is chiefly allocated using a funding formula that distributes resources on the basis of relative need and resources. A damping mechanism subsequently applied to protect all authorities against financial instability ensures all authorities receive an increase in grant at least equal to the "floor" level on a like-for-like basis year-on-year. Grant floors will remain an integral part of the finance system.
	Between 2003–04 and 2005–06, every police authority received the amount of grant to which it was entitled under annual Police Grant Reports and Local Government Finance Reports.
	The funding formula is currently being reviewed to ensure it continues to provide a robust and fair distribution of grant. A 12 week consultation period on options for formula change began on 19 July and will last until 10 October. This is an opportunity for all interested parties to comment on a range of proposals.
	
		2003–04 -- £ million
		
			  Formula grant before floor damping(155) Formula grant after floor damping(155) Difference 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset Police 157.1 157.1 0.0 
			 Bedfordshire Police 60.2 60.1 -0.1 
			 Cambridgeshire Police 73.2 71.1 -2.1 
			 Cheshire Police 105.6 103.9 -1.7 
			 Cleveland Police 84.5 84.1 -0.4 
			 Cumbria Police 57.8 57.7 0.0 
			 Derbyshire Police 97.3 97.9 0.7 
			 Devon and Cornwall Police 160.4 161.5 1.1 
			 Dorset Police 58.6 61.6 2.9 
			 Durham Police 81.7 81.5 -0.2 
			 Dyfed-Powys(156) 48.9 49.3 0.4 
			 Essex Police 143.3 155.9 12.6 
			 GLA—Police 1,788.5 1,764.0 -24.5 
			 Gloucestershire Police 56.5 57.0 0.5 
			 Greater Manchester Police 388.5 380.8 -7.7 
			 Gwent(156) 69.6 69.6 0.0 
			 Hampshire Police 179.7 184.5 4.8 
			 Hertfordshire Police 97.0 101.5 4.5 
			 Humberside Police 111.1 110.9 -0.2 
			 Kent Police 168.7 176.8 8.2 
			 Lancashire Police 179.1 177.1 -2.0 
			 Leicestershire Police 98.9 98.8 -0.1 
			 Lincolnshire Police 58.2 58.7 0.5 
			 Merseyside Police 243.1 240.5 -2.5 
			 Norfolk Police 79.6 79.6 -0.1 
			 North Wales(156) 73.4 73.4 0.0 
			 North Yorkshire Police 68.2 70.4 2.2 
			 Northamptonshire Police 64.2 62.2 -2.0 
			 Northumbria Police 221.1 214.3 -6.7 
			 Nottinghamshire Police 123.7 123.6 -0.2 
			 South Wales(156) 158.3 163.0 4.7 
			 South Yorkshire Police 172.7 172.3 -0.4 
			 Staffordshire Police 104.3 105.8 1.5 
			 Suffolk Police 63.1 63.9 0.8 
			 Surrey Police 71.1 85.4 14.3 
			 Sussex Police 144.8 153.1 8.3 
			 Thames Valley Police 204.0 205.9 2.0 
			 Warwickshire Police 47.8 48.2 0.4 
			 West Mercia Police 103.0 104.4 1.4 
			 West Midlands Police 413.6 386.5 -27.1 
			 West Yorkshire Police 298.6 289.4 -9.2 
			 Wiltshire Police 58.7 58.7 0.0 
		
	
	
		2004–05 -- £ million
		
			  Formula grant before floor damping Formula grant after floor damping Difference 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset Police 160.4 162.2 1.8 
			 Bedfordshire Police 62.1 62.1 0.0 
			 Cambridgeshire Police 74.9 73.4 -1.5 
			 Cheshire Police 107.1 107.2 0.1 
			 Cleveland Police 84.7 86.8 2.1 
			 Cumbria Police 57.6 59.6 2.0 
			 Derbyshire Police 100.9 101.2 0.3 
			 Devon and Cornwall Police 164.1 166.7 2.6 
			 Dorset Police 59.2 63.6 4.4 
			 Durham Police 83.2 84.2 1.0 
			 Dyfed-Powys(156) 49.5 50.9 1.4 
			 Essex Police 145.8 160.9 15.1 
			 GLA—Police 1,878.4 1,822.0 -56.4 
			 Gloucestershire Police 56.9 58.9 2.0 
			 Greater Manchester Police 399.9 393.2 -6.7 
			 Gwent(156) 69.7 71.8 2.1 
			 Hampshire Police 186.2 190.5 4.3 
			 Hertfordshire Police 99.1 104.8 5.7 
			 Humberside Police 113.5 114.6 1.1 
			 Kent Police 167.9 182.6 14.7 
			 Lancashire Police 184.5 182.9 -1.6 
			 Leicestershire Police 102.0 102.0 0.0 
			 Lincolnshire Police 60.1 60.6 0.5 
			 Merseyside Police 246.4 248.4 2.0 
			 Norfolk Police 81.6 82.2 0.6 
			 North Wales(156) 75.8 75.8 0.0 
			 North Yorkshire Police 69.7 72.7 3.0 
			 Northamptonshire Police 66.5 64.3 -2.2 
			 Northumbria Police 225.1 221.4 -3.7 
			 Nottinghamshire Police 127.7 127.6 -0.1 
			 South Wales(156) 159.5 168.2 8.7 
			 South Yorkshire Police 176.1 178.0 1.9 
			 Staffordshire Police 105.1 109.2 4.1 
			 Suffolk Police 63.2 66.0 2.8 
			 Surrey Police 72.5 88.2 15.7 
			 Sussex Police 147.4 158.1 10.7 
			 Thames Valley Police 208.0 212.6 4.6 
			 Warwickshire Police 49.5 49.8 0.3 
			 West Mercia Police 106.4 107.7 1.3 
			 West Midlands Police 426.3 399.3 -27.0 
			 West Yorkshire Police 305.7 298.9 -6.8 
			 Wiltshire Police 59.1 60.6 1.5 
		
	
	
		2005–06 -- £ million
		
			  Formula grant before floor damping Formula grant after floor damping Difference 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset Police 172.2 170.0 -2.2 
			 Bedfordshire Police 65.7 65.1 -0.6 
			 Cambridgeshire Police 80.1 77.9 -2.2 
			 Cheshire Police 110.8 111.3 0.4 
			 Cleveland Police 91.9 90.9 -1.0 
			 Cumbria Police 61.0 62.1 1.1 
			 Derbyshire Police 103.7 105.0 1.3 
			 Devon and Cornwall Police 171.2 173.0 1.8 
			 Dorset Police 61.8 66.0 4.2 
			 Durham Police 86.9 87.8 0.9 
			 Dyfed-Powys(156) 51.0 52.2 1.2 
			 Essex Police 153.3 167.0 13.6 
			 GLA—Police 1,976.3 1,927.8 -48.5 
			 Gloucestershire Police 59.8 61.1 1.3 
			 Greater Manchester Police 418.3 412.5 -5.8 
			 Gwent(156) 72.9 74.1 1.2 
			 Hampshire Police 192.7 197.7 4.9 
			 Hertfordshire Police 104.1 108.8 4.7 
			 Humberside Police 118.2 118.9 0.7 
			 Kent Police 177.9 189.5 11.5 
			 Lancashire Police 192.1 190.8 -1.3 
			 Leicestershire Police 109.8 107.7 -2.1 
			 Lincolnshire Police 64.0 63.4 -0.6 
			 Merseyside Police 255.6 257.7 2.1 
			 Norfolk Police 86.0 85.9 -0.2 
			 North Wales(156) 76.3 78.3 2.0 
			 North Yorkshire Police 72.6 75.4 2.9 
			 Northamptonshire Police 69.2 67.8 -1.4 
			 Northumbria Police 235.4 232.2 -3.2 
			 Nottinghamshire Police 133.9 133.3 -0.5 
			 South Wales(156) 165.1 174.5 9.4 
			 South Yorkshire Police 184.1 185.7 1.6 
			 Staffordshire Police 111.0 113.3 2.3 
			 Suffolk Police 67.6 68.5 0.8 
			 Surrey Police 77.2 91.5 14.3 
			 Sussex Police 152.1 164.0 11.9 
			 Thames Valley Police 216.5 220.6 4.1 
			 Warwickshire Police 52.0 51.8 -0.2 
			 West Mercia Police 109.3 111.8 2.5 
			 West Midlands Police 442.3 426.5 -15.8 
			 West Yorkshire Police 318.3 313.6 -4.6 
			 Wiltshire Police 61.7 62.9 1.2 
		
	
	(155) Original allocations.
	(156) Because the Welsh Assembly does not operate a grant damping mechanism, the Home Secretary has for several years provided additional funding to ensure Welsh police authorities receive at least a minimum increase in grant in line with English authorities. These additional grants, amounted to £5.1 million in 2003–04, £12.2 million in 2004–05 and £13.9 million in 2005–06.
	Note:
	The City of London police are part of the City Corporation. Grant cannot be directly compared with that for other police authorities.

Police Performance

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much Government funding has been spent on policing in Essex in each of the last 10 years.

Hazel Blears: The information is set out in the table.
	
		
			  General Government grants(157) (£) Percentage change Specific grants and capital provision(158) (£) 
		
		
			 1996–97 127.2 3.6 6.7 
			 1997–98 129.7 1.9 3.7 
			 1998–99 131.5 1.4 2.1 
			 1999–2000 134.8 2.5 3.1 
			 2000–01(159) 143.8 6.7 4.3 
			 2001–02(160) 151.9 5.6 6.7 
			 2001–02(160) 147.9 — 6.7 
			 2002–03 151.3 2.3 14.8 
			 2003–04 155.9 3.0 15.9 
			 2004–05 160.9 3.3 14.5 
			 2005–06 167.0 3.8 16.8 
		
	
	(157) General Government grants comprise Home Office police grant, ODPM revenue support grant and national non-domestic rates.
	(158) Includes specific grants: Crime Fighting Fund, Rural Policing Fund, Basic Command Unit funding, Community Support Officer funding (including, for 2004–05 and 2005–06, Round one of the Neighbourhood Policing Fund), Airwave, DNA Expansion Programme, special priority payments and capital grants. The Home Office also funds 75 per cent. of the cost of the South East Allowance for all qualifying officers. These figures are not included within the totals.
	(159) As of April 2000, the Metropolitan police force was reduced in size by a transfer of responsibility for policing some areas to the surrounding forces, including Essex.
	(160) Figures for 2001–02 are not directly comparable with 2002–03 due to the change in funding arrangements of NCS/NCIS. Adjusted figures for 2001–02 are therefore included.

Police Performance

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in Essex in (a) 1979, (b) 1983, (c) 1987, (d) 1992 and (e) each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		Police officer strength Essex(161) police force 
		
			 Strength as at 31 March Number (full-time equivalent) 
		
		
			 1979 2,461 
			 1983 2,641 
			 1987 2,718 
			 1992 2,898 
			 1996 2,884 
			 1997 2,961 
			 1998 2,928 
			 1999 2,891 
			 2000 2,806 
			 2001 2,897 
			 2002 2,946 
			 2003(162) 2,989 
			 2004(162) 3,098 
			 2005(162) 3,190 
		
	
	(161) Due to police force area reorganisation, the officer strength series is not consistent with earlier data after 1 April 2000.
	(162) Excludes staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave (comparable with figures prior to March 2003).

Police Performance

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) fatal and (b) non-fatal accidents involving police service vehicles there were in Greater London in each year since 1995, broken down by London borough; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 4 July 2005
	Figures for road traffic collisions are currently available from 2002–03.
	The available information for the numbers of casualties and degree of injury from road traffic collisions resulting from immediate/emergency response and police pursuits on public roads involving the Metropolitan police and City of London police is provided in the table. Figures are not held centrally at individual borough level.
	
		Degree of injury from road traffic collisions involving police forces in the Greater London area
		
			  City of London police Metropolitan police 
		
		
			 2002–03   
			 Fatal injury 0 5 
			 Serious injury 0 14 
			 Other injury 0 (163)— 
			 Total 0 (163)— 
			
			 2003–04   
			 Fatal injury 0 4 
			 Serious injury 1 21 
			 Other injury 1 600 
			 Total 2 625 
		
	
	(163) Data are not available.

Police Performance

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to increase provision of policing in rural areas.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office's £30 million a year Rural Policing Fund has been specifically introduced to increase the visibility and accessibility of the police in rural areas. 31 police authorities with the most widespread populations benefit from this additional funding. Police authorities who are in receipt of money from this fund may spend it as they see fit. This may involve recruiting additional officers for rural areas or spending the money on other innovative ways to tackle crime and the fear of crime. Examples of existing good practice include the use of mobile police stations or the deployment of community beat officers to patrol clusters of villages or neighbourhoods. Forces are also using dedicated parish or neighbourhood special constables.
	A number of police forces have introduced community support officers (CSOs) in rural areas since their introduction in 2002. CSOs help to tackle crime and disorder and provide public reassurance in the communities where they work. The Home Office is also involved in a "Blue Light" pilot for community support officers which aims to create a community focused, multi-functional role for these officers in some rural villages.

Prison Staff

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage staff turnover was in each (a) private and (b) public prison in England and Wales in (i) 2002–03, (ii) 2003–04 and (iii) 2004–05.

Fiona Mactaggart: Information on staff turnover in the public sector prison service is shown in the following table. Information on staffing turnover in the contracted estate is not collected centrally.
	
		Total turnover, including casual staff by public sector prison service establishment -- Percentage
		
			 Location 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Acklington 8.2 10.3 7.7 
			 Albany 8.1 10.9 9.8 
			 Ashwell 13.0 13.5 17.4 
			 Askham Grange 16.1 15.9 11.4 
			 Aylesbury 9.8 9.2 9.9 
			 Bedford 17.5 7.4 12.1 
			 Belmarsh 8.6 7.1 5.6 
			 Birmingham 8.8 9.3 8.6 
			 Blakenhurst 9.7 13.8 11.5 
			 Blantyre House 13.9 6.7 9.2 
			 Blundeston 11.7 6.8 10.6 
			 Brinsford 7.6 7.8 8.9 
			 Bristol 7.9 10.6 8.5 
			 Brixton 19.8 13.9 14.9 
			 Brockhill 13.6 6.2 13.2 
			 Buckley Hall 6.8 9.0 9.5 
			 Bullingdon 12.0 10.3 7.7 
			 Bullwood Hall 15.1 11.5 16.2 
			 Camp Hill 9.0 17.6 8.5 
			 Canterbury 9.7 12.1 6.5 
			 Cardiff 7.0 7.5 7.2 
			 Castington 10.2 6.3 9.6 
			 Channings Wood 10.4 12.3 7.5 
			 Chelmsford 10.7 13.2 16.2 
			 Coldingley 9.3 6.6 10.5 
			 Cookham Wood 11.6 9.7 16.3 
			 Dartmoor 8.3 13.0 10.0 
			 Deerbolt 11.0 9.9 12.8 
			 Dorchester 9.1 12.2 13.8 
			 Dover 13.3 8.8 7.9 
			 Downview 12.3 11.4 12.2 
			 Drake Hall 19.2 15.7 11.7 
			 Durham 5.8 5.0 7.0 
			 East Sutton Park 20.7 11.6 20.2 
			 Eastwood Park 16.7 16.0 16.6 
			 Edmunds Hill 7.1 14.4 9.5 
			 Elmley 7.0 7.9 9.3 
			 Erlestoke 11.3 15.5 13.9 
			 Everthorpe 8.3 10.4 10.4 
			 Exeter 13.5 11.7 11.2 
			 Featherstone 5.5 6.8 10.8 
			 Feltham 11.5 10.0 11.4 
			 Ford 8.8 13.3 14.5 
			 Foston Hall 7.3 10.4 13.2 
			 Frankland 4.8 4.5 4.8 
			 Full Sutton 6.0 6.9 5.9 
			 Garth 5.1 5.5 7.5 
			 Gartree 9.9 6.6 11.4 
			 Glen Parva 8.8 10.6 9.9 
			 Gloucester 14.4 13.1 15.6 
			 Grendon 8.2 10.4 11.1 
			 Guys Marsh 11.4 13.0 10.6 
			 Haslar 17.1 11.8 17.8 
			 Hatfield 15.6 — — 
			 Haverigg 6.0 10.6 11.9 
			 Hewell Grange 9.7 6.4 9.9 
			 High Down 11.2 10.4 7.0 
			 Highpoint 16.1 11.5 8.5 
			 Hindley 11.5 14.0 10.6 
			 Hollesley Bay 8.0 8.9 10.5 
			 Holloway 10.3 9.4 11.4 
			 Holme House 8.5 7.9 10.7 
			 Hull 5.9 8.3 6.9 
			 Huntercombe 17.1 16.7 12.9 
			 Kingston 10.1 8.5 14.7 
			 Kirkham 8.7 8.1 9.7 
			 Kirklevington Grange 8.2 9.5 8.5 
			 Lancaster 12.5 11.3 14.6 
			 Lancaster Farms 9.2 6.3 9.0 
			 Latchmere House 14.0 10.3 18.5 
			 Leeds 7.3 6.7 7.7 
			 Leicester 11.6 14.1 10.4 
			 Lewes 20.0 8.4 8.7 
			 Leyhill 13.8 13.3 11.5 
			 Lincoln 10.7 8.0 12.5 
			 Lindholme 10.8 11.0 12.1 
			 Littlehey 12.4 10.6 12.7 
			 Liverpool 6.4 7.6 8.5 
			 Long Lartin 7.1 7.2 7.2 
			 Low Newton 6.1 10.9 10.8 
			 Maidstone 8.1 16.2 9.7 
			 Manchester 5.3 6.1 4.0 
			 Moorland 4.1 5.3 7.1 
			 Motion Hall 15.8 16.0 13.3 
			 New Hall 9.1 12.5 9.6 
			 North Sea Camp 12.7 9.0 10.4 
			 Northallerton 7.6 14.6 20.8 
			 Norwich 10.1 9.6 10.7 
			 Nottingham 9.0 6.4 8.5 
			 Onley 11.8 9.2 12.6 
			 Parkhurst 10.6 9.8 11.4 
			 Pentonville 9.5 10.8 10.2 
			 Portland 11.4 12.8 10.9 
			 Preston 6.9 14.7 11.2 
			 Ranby 8.6 10.6 9.0 
			 Reading 15.5 9.6 10.5 
			 Risley 13.0 9.9 9.2 
			 Rochester 15.3 15.8 8.3 
			 Send 10.0 15.3 9.7 
			 Shepton Mallet 13.8 13.7 14.7 
			 Shrewsbury 10.9 7.2 8.9 
			 Stafford 11.6 12.7 10.2 
			 Standford Hill 10.3 12.1 8.0 
			 Stocken 10.6 8.6 9.4 
			 Stoke Heath 8.9 11.9 13.9 
			 Styal 13.5 13.9 8.3 
			 Sudbury 8.4 8.9 9.1 
			 Swaleside 8.6 6.8 5.5 
			 Swansea 9.1 12.0 8.5 
			 Swinfen Hall 10.2 7.5 10.8 
			 The Mount 12.5 12.1 14:5 
			 The Verne 8.8 12.6 4.8 
			 Thorn Cross 11.6 7.0 9.3 
			 Usk/Prescoed 11.1 11.5 6.2 
			 Wakefield 6.4 6.7 5.3 
			 Wandsworth 10.6 11.5 8.9 
			 Warren Hill 2.2 13.5 9.7 
			 Wayland 8.2 7.7 4.8 
			 Wealstun 9.7 8.6 12.3 
			 Weare 8.6 4.2 11.7 
			 Wellingborough 12.2 13.5 10.0 
			 Werrington 15.9 12.3 8.8 
			 Wetherby 9.7 8.2 11.4 
			 Whatton 8.8 12.9 10.8 
			 Whitemoor 6.8 5.7 6.5 
			 Winchester 10.7 10.3 9.3 
			 Woodhill 5.7 6.2 5.7 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 9.8 14.7 13.3 
			 Wymott 5.6 5.5 9.5 
			 Total Establishments 9.6 9.7 9.7 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Healthcare staff transferring to primary care trusts as part of transfer of healthcare commissioning have been excluded.
	2. Casual staff are included.

Prisoners

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the projected population of prisoners originating from West Yorkshire in (a) 2007, (b) 2010, (c) 2015 and (d) 2025.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office does not currently project the population of prisoners originating from specific geographical areas of England and Wales. The latest national prison population projections are published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin "Prison Population Projections: 2005–2011, England and Wales, HOSB 01/05". An update to these projections will be published (HOSB 10/05) on the 26 July 2005.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the extent of racism in the Prison Service; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Commission for Racial Equality's (CRE's) formal investigation into race relations in the Prison Service was published in December 2003. The investigation was conducted in three prisons (Brixton, Feltham and Parc), identified by the Prison Service and Her Majesty's Chief Inspectorate of Prisons. Its findings were accepted in full by the Prison Service.
	As a result of the Investigation, the Prison Service is working closely with the CRE to ensure that race equality is managed more effectively across all of the Service's functions, activities and core business requirements. A joint action plan was produced: "Implementing Race Equality in Prisons: A Shared Agenda for Change" which represented a milestone for race relations in the service. The plan forms the basis of a long-term strategy for the Prison Service and will ensure that all establishments fully comply with the legal requirements of the Race Rations (Amendment) Act 2000 and embed the lessons learned from the CRE investigation.
	The Prison Service is developing robust measures to identify matters of concern and how to address them, focusing in particular on:
	monitoring information through quarterly questionnaires and impact assessments;
	development of key performance targets on race equality for staff and prisoners;
	training on impact assessments and diversity issues across the estate; and
	prisoner intervention strategies.
	Over the last 12 months, the Race and Equalities Action Group has revised the Prison Service Race Equality Scheme, which sets out how the service will meet its general statutory duty under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination, promote equality of opportunity, and promote good relations between people of different racial groups during 2005–08.
	Over the next three years, establishments and policy leads will be undertaking impact assessments of all functions, policies and activities within the Prison Service. These assessments will provide evidenced analysis of whether there is the potential for adverse impact or whether there has been actual adverse impact on any racial group. Where there is such evidence, establishments and policy leads will consider what changes need to be made, and make the changes.

Probation Service

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the merits of introducing contestability into the provision of probation services.

Paul Goggins: Lord Carter's review "Managing Offenders, Reducing Crime", published in January 2004, noted that while contestability had proved a strong stimulus to improvement in the Prison Service, there had been minimal contestability in frontline provision of probation services, and recommended action to introduce greater contestability. I accept that analysis, and have asked my officials to develop by this autumn proposals to test the market for probation services.

Proceeds of Crime

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money has been seized as a result of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (a) in total and (b) from drug-related cases in (i) Huddersfield, (ii) Yorkshire and (iii) England.

Paul Goggins: Information is not available in the form requested. The total value of assets recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and earlier legislation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was £54.5 million in 2003–04 and £84.4 million in 2004–05. The total value of confiscation orders obtained by police forces in Yorkshire and in England under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and earlier legislation is set out in the table.
	In addition, the total value of cash seized by police forces in Yorkshire and in England under the 2002 Act and subsequently forfeited by Order of the Courts is as also set out in the table.
	Information on the value of confiscation orders and cash forfeiture orders obtained by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs is not available by region.
	
		Total value of confiscation orders obtained by police forces in Yorkshire and in England
		
			 Area Year Value 
		
		
			 West Yorkshire 2003–04 2,851,709 
			  2004–05 1,051,635 
			
			 North Yorkshire 2003–04 — 
			  2004–05 192,741 
			
			 South Yorkshire 2003–04 784,579 
			  2004–05 927,932 
			
			 England 2003–04 37,196,546 
		
	
	
		Total value of cash seized by police forces in Yorkshire and in England and subsequently forfeited by Order of the Courts
		
			 Area Year Value 
		
		
			 West Yorkshire 2003–04 22,455 
			  2004–05 140,708 
			
			
			 North Yorkshire 2003–04 — 
			  2004–05 12,340 
			
			 South Yorkshire 2003–04 — 
			  2004–05 264,595 
			
			 England 2003–04 2,875,330 
			  2004–05 7,501,798

Programme of Action

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made towards the implementation of the Government's Programme of Action in response to the Insurance Cover Working Group report on Research into Insurance Cover for the voluntary and community sector in England; how many times the Insurance Cover Working Group has met since the publication of the Programme of Action; and what plans the group has for further meetings.

Paul Goggins: The Insurance Cover Working Group (ICWG) published a paper entitled Programme of Action on 16 July 2004 and has met twice since then to monitor progress (in October 2004 and April 2005).
	Following the publication of the Programme of Action, the ICWG noted that work has continued across Government and elsewhere to address many of the points it highlighted. The Department of Work and Pensions has completed its work of the employers' compulsory liability insurance; the Office of Fair Trading has published a second review into liability insurance; and the Department of Constitutional Affairs has set up a ministerial steering group with a civil service action group to address the so-called "compensation culture", following the work of the better regulation task force.
	To complement these initiatives, the Home Office has commissioned Volunteering England to lead on an integrated programme of work to address issues to do with risk and insurance in the volunteering sector. This is a 12-month programme of work funded through the ChangeUp programme. The objectives are to enhance and disseminate good practice and to contribute to wider debates on risk and insurance. Detailed recommendations are expected in early 2006 following research and consultation with stakeholders.
	The final meeting of the ICWG is scheduled for September 2005, after which it will be disbanded as the work of the group is subsumed into the programme of work being undertaken by Volunteering England.

Race Crime

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to deal with race crime.

Paul Goggins: In recent years the Government have strengthened the criminal penalties for offences such as incitement to racial hatred and for racially or religiously aggravated assault and criminal damage. As part of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 the Government created new racially-aggravated offences which make available to the courts higher maximum penalties where there is evidence of racial hostility surrounding the offence. The offences include assaults, criminal damage and harassment.
	In July 2003 the Crown Prosecution Service set out in a Policy Statement a commitment to prosecute racist and religious crime fairly, firmly and robustly. This sends a clear message to perpetrators that they will not get away with threatening, violent or abusive behaviour towards members of racial or religious groups.
	Earlier this year the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Home Office published a Hate Crime Manual, "Hate Crime: Delivering a Quality Service." The manual provides good practice guidance on identifying and combating hate crime.
	Additionally, in 2002 the Home Office issued guidance to crime reduction partnerships on tackling racist antisocial behaviour. This included a Racist Crime and Harassment Toolkit.

Race Hatred

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what monitoring his Department carries out of incidents involving criminal damage, threats and assaults which may contain an element of race hatred on the part of perpetrator; and what assessment he has made of the trends indicated.

Paul Goggins: The Home Office collects statistical information from a number of sources.
	Offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. Figures are available for the following offences which include a racial element:
	Racially or religiously aggravated less serious wounding;
	Racially or religiously aggravated harassment;
	Racially or religiously aggravated common assault;
	Racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage to a dwelling;
	Racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage to a building other than a dwelling;
	Racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage to a vehicle;
	Racially or religiously aggravated other criminal damage.
	However, it is not possible to separately identify which offences are racial or which are of a religious nature.
	Statistics for 1995 to 2004–05 are published in Table 2.04 of "Crime in England and Wales 2004–05", a copy of which is available in the Library. The table also contains figures for percentage changes between 2003–04 and 2004–05.
	The British Crime Survey (BCS) includes information in relation to racially motivated victimisation incidents. Latest findings, based on the 2003–04 BCS, are in chapter three of statistics on race and the criminal justice system 2004; previous data are contained in Home Office Findings 237, July 2004 (for 2002–03) and Home Office Research Study 223, October 2001 (trends up to 2000).
	The survey provides estimates of the number of racially-motivated incidents for all BCS crime for the total population of England and Wales and by ethnic group. It does not provide these estimates by crime type.
	Additionally, the BCS provides a measure of relative risk of crime among different ethnic groups for vandalism and BCS violent crime, but it is not possible to assess to what extent incidents may have been motivated by racial hatred.
	The Home Office court proceedings database currently holds data for 2003 on prosecutions, convictions and sentences for racially or religiously aggravated offences of assault, harassment and criminal damage. Data for 2004 will be available in the autumn.

Safety Belts

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) males and (b) females aged 16 years were (i) charged and (ii) convicted in England and Wales of offences under sections (A) 14(3), (B) 15(2) and (C) 15(4) of the Road Traffic 1988 in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: Information from the Home Office court proceedings database on the number of defendants aged 16 years prosecuted for driving/riding a motor vehicle without a seatbelt and driving/riding a motor vehicle containing a child not wearing a seatbelt, by sex, 1999–2003 is contained in the table.
	Statistics for 2004 will be available in the autumn.
	
		Persons aged 16 prosecuted and convicted at all courts for seat belt offences under sections 14(3), 15(2) and 15(4) of theRoad Traffic Act 1988, 1999–2003: England and Wales -- Defendants
		
			  1999 2000 2001 
			  Prosecuted Guilty Prosecuted Guilty Prosecuted Guilty 
		
		
			 Males 9 5 6 5 7 3 
			 Females 1 1 1 1 0 0 
			 Total 10 6 7 6 7 3 
		
	
	
		
			  2002 2003 
			  Prosecuted Guilty Prosecuted Guilty 
		
		
			 Males 6 3 7 5 
			 Females 2 1 1 0 
			 Total 8 4 8 5 
		
	
	Note:
	These figures are on the principal offence basis

Sickness Absence

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many days the Department has lost due to sickness in the past five years for which figures are available.

Charles Clarke: The annual report "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service" published by the Cabinet Office in November 2004 contains reported sickness absence data for the calendar year 2003 for the Department and its agencies. Table A of the report gives details of both the average working days absence per staff year and the number of staff years on which that calculation is based on. Reports for earlier years are available on the Cabinet Office website.
	The Department is committed to managing sick absence effectively and to putting in place the recommendations of the "Managing Sickness Absence in the Public Sector" report.
	
		Home Department—sickness analysis
		
			  Workdays lost to sickness 
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 (estimated) 
		
		
			 Centrally managed Home Office(164) 
			 IND — 127,440 117,270 124,589 (165)154,963 
			 non-IND — 32,917 31,946 31,043 22,525 
			   
			 UK Passport Service 32,350.5 35,282 34,165 32,336 33,603 
			   
			 Forensic Science Service(166) (167)— 10,093 23,190 9,087 25,823 
			   
			 Public Sector Prisons(168) 592,173 614,150 668,337 628,623 616,367 
		
	
	(164) Reports run for previous 12 months from November 2002, June 2003 and April 2004.
	(165) 2005 figures for Core, from PayFact estimated on 11 month basis.
	(166) Reports in 2002 and 2004 are based on five months; 2003 is based on full calendar year. 2005 is at end of fiscal year.
	(167) No data available.
	(168) Reports based on financial years, using 225 working days and the average staff in post for year.
	The Home Office is fully committed to implementing the recommendations of the joint DWP/Cabinet Office report on managing attendance in the public sector and the Group HR Board approved an action plan at its meeting in July to reduce sickness absence across the whole Department.

Stop and Search Procedures

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) percentage and (b) numerical charge in (i) stops and (ii) stops and searches has been in each police force, broken down by ethnicity since 7 July; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 20 July 2005
	The information requested is not available. Information on stops and searches is published for financial years. The latest available ethnic breakdown of this data, for 2003–04, was published in February 2005 in "Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System 2004' which is available on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/section951.html
	along with previous years' equivalent publications.

Terrorism Act

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) legal and (b) administrative action has been taken against (i) individuals and (ii) organisations proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000 in each year since its implementation; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: Two individuals were convicted in 2002 in England and Wales under Section 11(1) of the Terrorism Act (membership of a proscribed organisation). They were each sentenced to 2½ years' imprisonment.
	A total of 30 administrative actions have been taken by Her Majesty's Treasury against groups proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000. In all cases this has involved freezing the funds, financial assets, and economic resources of proscribed groups. The authority of Her Majesty's Treasury to freeze assets is derived from the Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2001 (SI 3365/2001) (which implemented UNSCR 1373 in UK law) and the al-Qaeda and Taliban (United Nations Measures) Order 2002 ((SI 111/2002). The yearly breakdown is as follows.
	
		
			  Total number of actions 
		
		
			 2001 28 
			 2002 1 
			 2003 1

Under-age Drinking/Alcohol Sales

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for the offence of supplying alcohol to a person under the age of 18 were secured in the area of the North Wales Police Force in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: The numbers of defendants found guilty at all courts in North Wales for selling etc., intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 for consumption on the premises' (including "wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18") were no defendants in 2000, one defendant in 2002 and five defendants in 2003.
	Statistics for 2004 will be available in the autumn.
	The penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme provides for persons who commit specified penalty offences to be issued with a fixed penalty notice instead of being prosecuted. The offence of selling alcohol to persons aged under 18 was added to the PND scheme on one November 2004 for use on bar or off license staff, licensees will be prosecuted to enable action to be taken to revoke their licenses.
	In North Wales, one penalty notice was issued for this offence in 2004 and provisional data for 2005 shows that four were issued to the end of May.
	Additional powers are being put forward in the Violent Crime Reduction Bill that was introduced on 8 June 2005 to give partners additional tools to help them tackle alcohol misuse. The Bill enables local authorities and the police to create Alcohol Disorder Zones for targeted action; introduces a new Drinking Banning Order and on-the-spot 48 hour exclusions to target those who are or who represent a public order risk; and a power for the police to impose 48-hour bans on pubs and clubs persistently selling to underage drinkers.

Under-age Drinking/Alcohol Sales

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have taken place for under-age drinking in Sheffield, Hallam in each year since 1990.

Fiona Mactaggart: As such there is no specific offence of under-age drinking because the offence is covered under a number of offences on the Home Office Court Proceedings Database.
	Information on these offences is provided in the table, which gives the number of defendants aged 10 to 17 years who were proceeded against in the Sheffield magistrates courts, for selected offences related to alcohol.
	Statistics for 2004 will be available in the autumn.
	The penalty notice for disorder scheme was rolled out to all police forces in England and Wales during 2004. The scheme provides for a range of minor offences to be dealt with by the issue of a fixed penalty notice. The offences include ones, which relate to under age drinking, being drunk and disorderly and being drunk in a highway or public place. Data on these offences are collected centrally at police force level only and therefore data related to Sheffield is unavailable.
	
		Number of defendants aged under 18 proceeded against at Sheffield magistrates courts foroffences related to underage drinking 1990–2003(169)
		
			 Offence description Principal statute 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 
		
		
			 Being found drunk in a highway or other public place, whether a building or not, or on licensed premises Licensing Act 1872 S.12 — — — — 1 — 2 
			 Drunk in, or when entering, a designated sports event Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 S.2(2) 2 4 4 — 2 — — 
			 Being guilty while drunk of disorderly behaviour Criminal Justice Act 1967 S.91 53 22 5 5 2 6 12 
			  Licensing Act 1 964 S.169C(1)and E(1)as added by Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 S.1; Licensing
			 Person under 18 buying or attempting to buy or consuming intoxicating liquor in licensed premises (Occasional Permissions) Act 1 983 S.3 Schedule Para.4(2) — — — — — — — 
			  Total 55 26 9 5 5 6 14 
		
	
	
		
			 Offence description Principal statute 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Being found drunk in a highway or other public place, whether a building or not, or on licensed premises Licensing Act 1872 S.12 — — 3 — 1 — — 
			 Drunk in, or when entering, a designated sports event Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 S.2(2) 1 1 — — 1 — — 
			 Being guilty while drunk of disorderly behaviour Criminal Justice Act 1967 S.91 15 20 26 24 16 31 36 
			  Licensing Act 1 964 S.169C(1)and E(1)as added by Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 S.1; Licensing
			 Person under 18 buying or attempting to buy or consuming intoxicating liquor in licensed premises (Occasional Permissions) Act 1 983 S.3 Schedule Para.4(2) — — — — — — — 
			  Total 16 21 29 24 18 31 36 
		
	
	(169) These data are on a principal offence basis.

Vehicle Registration/Taxation

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions relating to the non-payment of road tax there have been in each police authority in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: Available information taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database from 1999 to 2003 (latest available) is given in the table.
	2004 data will be available early in 2006.
	
		Proceedings at magistrates courts and total findings of guilt at all courts for the vehicle offence of failing to pay appropriate duty(170), by police force area, England and Wales -- Number of offences
		
			  1999 2000 2001 
			 Police force area Total proceedings Findings of guilt Total proceedings Findings of guilt Total proceedings Findings of guilt 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 7,676 6,442 6,786 5,635 5,893 4,850 
			 Bedfordshire 1,488 1,248 1,166 988 846 708 
			 Cambridgeshire 23 8 13 10 48 44 
			 Cheshire 1,211 1,055 3,534 3,176 4,078 3,619 
			 Cleveland 2,265 1,710 2,319 1,799 1,990 1,599 
			 Cumbria 784 688 915 773 78 65 
			 Derbyshire 1,242 979 1,090 832 980 774 
			 Devon and Cornwall 6,162 5,010 5,923 4,901 5,540 4,653 
			 Dorset 2,591 2,191 2,948 2,485 3,376 2,855 
			 Durham 728 563 336 261 162 125 
			 Essex 10,784 9,992 9,703 8,162 6,439 5,584 
			 Gloucestershire 1,660 1,391 1,627 1,324 1,794 1,541 
			 Greater Manchester 5,502 4,868 6,917 5,959 5,087 4,444 
			 Hampshire 7,513 6,088 7,813 6,247 7,921 6,380 
			 Hertfordshire 5,068 4,209 5,142 4,150 4,935 4,052 
			 Humberside 4,333 3,626 4,838 3,984 4,532 3,801 
			 Kent 189 134 43 17 2,250 1,935 
			 Lancashire 5,146 4,170 5,890 5,013 7,215 6,151 
			 Leicestershire 5,460 4,616 5,802 4,759 5,487 4,639 
			 Lincolnshire 2,661 2,397 2,162 1,905 2,078 1,833 
			 London, City of 632 496 344 311 389 368 
			 Merseyside 2,762 2,277 4,656 3,865 5,573 4,692 
			 Met Police 16,375 14,910 15,408 14,052 15,603 14,267 
			 Norfolk 903 864 875 786 1,937 1,676 
			 Northamptonshire 3,908 3,316 4,824 4,061 4,408 3,808 
			 Northumbria 3,619 3,065 4,559 3,839 4,245 3,587 
			 North Yorkshire 1,076 854 924 735 950 749 
			 Nottinghamshire 4,965 4,188 4,558 3,818 4,001 3,299 
			 South Yorkshire 981 773 954 752 1,249 1,019 
			 Staffordshire 571 482 409 348 146 115 
			 Suffolk 2,923 2,532 3,593 3,026 2,912 2,391 
			 Surrey 1,478 1,254 2,197 1,889 2,269 1,929 
			 Sussex 5,330 4,416 7,114 5,831 6,794 5,454 
			 Thames Valley 1,239 985 2,811 2,306 2,456 1,999 
			 Warwickshire 1,002 892 942 817 872 740 
			 West Mercia 2,944 2,543 3,419 2,905 3,122 2,738 
			 West Midlands 7,432 6,039 6,607 5,367 5,035 4,139 
			 West Yorkshire 5,685 4,627 6,246 4,927 5,662 4,550 
			 Wiltshire 2,330 1,985 2,146 1,800 2,292 1,924 
			 England 138,641 117,883 147,553 123,815 140,644 119,096 
			
			 Dyfed Powys 2,289 2,014 2,067 1,777 1,841 1,603 
			 Gwent 1,985 1,740 2,783 2,425 3,456 3,123 
			 North Wales 1,359 1,140 1,613 1,329 1,941 1,589 
			 South Wales 4,550 3,880 4,155 3,430 4,383 3,772 
			 Wales 10,183 8,774 10,618 8,961 11,621 10,087 
			
			 England and Wales 148,824 126,657 158,171 132,776 152,265 129,183 
		
	
	
		Number of offences
		
			  2002 2003 
			 Police force area Total proceedings Findings of guilt Total proceedings Findings of guilt 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 7,963 6,554 7,027 5,868 
			 Bedfordshire 1,308 1,103 2,149 1,791 
			 Cambridgeshire 13 3 22 12 
			 Cheshire 3,782 3,321 4,826 4,368 
			 Cleveland 1,585 1,348 2,432 2,387 
			 Cumbria 10 6 1,085 913 
			 Derbyshire 1,131 927 3,870 3,250 
			 Devon and Cornwall 8,827 7,498 9,826 8,414 
			 Dorset 3,058 2,557 3,601 3,090 
			 Durham 47 17 11 4 
			 Essex 7,091 6,129 6,080 5,371 
			 Gloucestershire 1,667 1,461 2,230 1,926 
			 Greater Manchester 4,570 4,125 8,756 7,749 
			 Hampshire 8,768 7,029 7,714 6,350 
			 Hertfordshire 3,559 2,923 4,643 3,771 
			 Humberside 4,649 3,940 5,410 4,610 
			 Kent 4,503 3,865 5,411 4,607 
			 Lancashire 5,351 4,748 6,414 5,645 
			 Leicestershire 5,881 4,949 5,671 4,691 
			 Lincolnshire 2,303 2,049 2,501 2,171 
			 London, City of 476 442 408 376 
			 Merseyside 4,864 4,091 8,252 6,824 
			 Met Police 14,649 13,420 26,813 24,765 
			 Norfolk 2,059 1,829 3,118 2,771 
			 Northamptonshire 4,880 4,169 4,462 3,817 
			 Northumbria 3,618 3,034 3,183 2,599 
			 North Yorkshire 714 568 846 680 
			 Nottinghamshire 4,265 3,528 3,920 3,198 
			 South Yorkshire 1,336 1,045 3,771 3,196 
			 Staffordshire 81 56 75 43 
			 Suffolk 2,911 2,381 2,993 2,442 
			 Surrey 2,612 2,265 2,240 1,923 
			 Sussex 6,803 5,660 7,733 6,363 
			 Thames Valley 1,894 1,533 3,409 2,817 
			 Warwickshire 798 694 983 873 
			 West Mercia 3,099 2,646 3,061 2,677 
			 West Midlands 5,528 4,606 14,040 11,472 
			 West Yorkshire 5,151 4,143 8,547 7,101 
			 Wiltshire 2,281 1,915 2,425 2,049 
			 England 144,085 122,577 189,958 162,974 
			  
			 Dyfed Powys 1,925 1,715 1,784 1,568 
			 Gwent 4,330 3,866 4,184 3,738 
			 North Wales 2,781 2,298 3,188 2,711 
			 South Wales 4,776 4,142 6,362 5,590 
			 Wales 13,812 12,021 15,518 13,607 
			  
			 England and Wales 157,897 134,598 205,476 176,581 
		
	
	(170) Offence under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 s. 29 (1)-(3).
	Note:
	The statistics of court proceedings are based on returns made by the police to the Home Office's Data Collection Group. Although these include offences where there has been no police involvement such as those prosecutions instigated by Government Departments (in this case the DVLA) and private organisations and individuals, the reporting of these types of offences is known to be incomplete. Moreover, it is thought that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings, in particular those relating to motoring offences and to TV licence evasion, may also be less than complete; the extent of under-reporting may vary from year to year and this could be responsible in part for the annual variations.

Volunteering

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was to public funds, including lottery funding, in the last five years of (a) Volunteering England, (b) the Institute of Volunteering Research, (c) Future Builders, (d) ChangeUp, (e) the Active Community Unit, (f) Community Service Volunteers, (g) the Experience Corps, (h) the Youth Action Network, (i) Millennium Volunteers and (j) Corporate Challenge; what targets or outcomes have been set as a condition of funding in each case; and what information he has collected on their progress in meeting those targets.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 30 June 2005
	The information is as follows.
	(a) Volunteering England (includes funding to the Institute of Volunteering Research)
	Home Office
	Funding
	Volunteering England was formed in April 2004 and received £5.9 million from the Home Office in 2004–05.
	Targets and progress
	This funding relates to a number of Volunteering England projects and each of these contribute to Volunteering England's strategic growth and support the organisations development of a national infrastructure to support volunteering. Volunteering England is still a relatively new organisation but early indications are that the organisation is performing well.
	Department for Health
	Funding
	Volunteering England has received £10.8 million from the Department of Health under the Departments Section 64 and Opportunities for Volunteering grant rounds.
	In the case of Section 64 this funding has been allocated to six projects volunteering projects run by Volunteering England.
	In the case of Opportunities for Volunteering, Volunteering England act as national agent for the Department for Health, allocating funding to local projects subject to suitable business cases being made.
	Targets and progress
	There are a number of targets associated to this funding, specific details of each of these targets, for each year of funding are unavailable without expending disproportionate effort.
	Department of Health officials state that the performance of Volunteering England has been good and that they continue to have good relationships with the organisation.
	(c) Futurebuilders
	 Funding
	The Futurebuilders initiative began in 2003. Latest figures (30 April 2005) show that to date investments have been made totalling 24 million. The Home Office is Futurebuilders sole funder.
	Targets and progress
	Futurebuilders has a target to invest in up to 250 schemes, with a minimum of 225, operating in or across the five public service delivery areas of health and social care, crime, community cohesion, education and learning and support for children and young people. Latest figures (30 April 2005) show that 51 organisations have been funded.
	(d) ChangeUp
	Funding
	The ChangeUp programme began in 2003 and 10 million was spent on the programme between 2003–04 and 2004–05. The Home Office is ChangeUp's sole funder.
	Targets and progress
	ChangeUp investment is focused on achieving the high level outcomes of the ChangeUp framework:
	a highly skilled workforce, performance improvement, more effective use of ICT, strengthened governance, improved volunteer support and more diverse and effective income generation within the voluntary and community sector (VCS)
	support for frontline organisations which is available nationwide, structured for maximum efficiency, offering excellent provision which is accessible to all while reflecting and promoting diversity, and is sustainable funded
	Partnerships of VCS organisations have been successfully developed at local, regional and national level to implement ChangeUp and investment is beginning to be made at all these levels in line with achieving the objectives. It is too early for a full evaluation of this activity.
	(e) The Active Community Unit
	Funding
	Between 2000–01 and 2004–05 £336 million has been spent by the Home Office Active Community Unit. It is important to note that this figure includes funding to Volunteering England, the Institute of Volunteering Research, Futurebuilders, ChangeUp, Community Service Volunteers, the Experience Corps and the Youth Action Network. It should also be noted that the Active Community Unit is now part of the wider Home Office Active Communities Directorate, which also includes the Charities Unit and the Volunteering and Charitable Giving Unit.
	Targets and progress: SR2002 PSA8
	The Active Communities Directorate is responsible for the Government's Public Service Agreement target, agreed as part of Spending Review 2002, to increase voluntary and community sector activity, including increasing community participation, by 5 per cent. by 2006. Achievement of this PSA target is dependent on the measurement of two activities: (i) community participation and (ii) voluntary and community sector activity.
	"Community participation" is measured by the Home Office Citizenship Survey and is defined as involvement in civic participation, informal or formal volunteering at least once a month in the last 12 months.
	The 5 per cent. PSA target would require an increase of 0.9 million people on the 2001 baseline figure of 18.8 million by 2006. The Home Office Citizenship Survey 2003 shows that between 2001 and 2003, the percentage of people in England who had participated at least once a month in one or more of the three core activities increased from 48 per cent. to 51 per cent. In numerical terms, this represents an increase of more than 1.5 million, well in excess of the 0.9 million target for 2006.
	"Voluntary and community sector activity", specifically the contribution of the voluntary and community sector to the delivery of public services, is measured by the State of the Sector Panel Survey. The Panel consists of more than 5000 members that together reflect the diversity of the voluntary and community sector in England.
	Baseline information was collected for financial year 2002–03 and progress towards the PSA target will be measured between this year and 2005/06 by the Voluntary and Community Sector Activity Index. The survey for the baseline year has been completed and revised data will be available in April 2005. The survey for 2003–04 is currently in the field and data will be available in late autumn 2005.
	Targets and progress: SR2004 PSA6
	The Active Communities Directorate is also responsible for the Government's Public Service Agreement target, agreed as part of Spending Review 2004, to increase voluntary and community engagement, especially amongst those at risk of social exclusion. The target has two elements: (i) increasing voluntary activity by individuals at risk of social exclusion and (ii) increasing the capacity and contribution of the voluntary and community sector to deliver more public services.
	"Voluntary activity by individuals at risk of social exclusion" is measured by the Home Office Citizenship Survey and is defined as involvement in informal or formal volunteering at least once a month in the last 12 months by people with no qualifications, people from black and minority ethnic communities and people with disabilities or limiting long-term illnesses.
	'The capacity and contribution of the voluntary and community sector to deliver more public services' is measured in the same way that "voluntary and community sector activity" is for SR2002 PSA8.
	(f) Community Service Volunteers
	Home Office
	Funding
	Community Service Volunteers (CSV) has received £5.74 million from the Home Office between 2000–01 to 2004–05.
	Targets and progress
	This funding relates to a number of CSV projects each of which contribute to CSV's strategic work as one of the UK's largest and oldest volunteering organisations. Targets for these projects vary from year to year and are formally agreed with CSV via the submission of workplans and budgets. Specific details of each of these targets for each year are unavailable without expending disproportionate effort. To date CSV's progress has been good.
	Department for Health
	Funding
	CSV has received £1.7 million from the Department of Health under the Departments Section 64 and Opportunities for Volunteering grant rounds.
	Targets and progress
	In the case of Section 64 this funding is for three projects run by CSV.
	In the case of Opportunity for Volunteers CSV act as national agents for the Department of Health allocating funding to local projects subject to suitable business cases being made.
	Targets and outcomes for this funding are set on a yearly basis, specific details of each of these targets is unavailable without expending disproportionate effort.
	Department of Health officials state that the performance of CSV has been good and that they continue to have good relationships with the organisation.
	Department for Education and Skills
	Funding
	CSV has received £2.06 million from the Department for Education and Skills. This funding has been directed at CSV's management of the neighbourhood support fund and funding to develop a range of resource materials to support the teaching of citizenship education.
	Targets and progress
	Targets and outcomes for this funding are set on a yearly basis, specific details of each of these targets is unavailable without expending disproportionate effort.
	National Lottery
	Funding
	CSV has received £5.1 million from lottery funds.
	Targets and progress
	These funds have been allocated to 40 CSV projects with a range of targets. Details of targets and progress for each of these projects are unavailable without disproportionate effort.
	(g) Experience Corps
	Funding
	The Experience Corps was established as a company limited by guarantee, funded by but separate from the Home Office in 2001. The Home Office provided approximately £20 million (£5.5 million/£7.2 million/£7.2 million) between 2001–02 to 2003–04.
	Targets and progress
	The organisations key target was to recruit 250,000 new volunteers in the three years of their funding. As at December 2003 the organisation stated that they had recruited over 153,000 volunteers, an evaluation in March 2003 revealed concerns surrounding the Experience Corps volunteer recruitment figures, specifically how many of these volunteers became actively engaged in volunteering activities.
	(h) Youth Action Network Funding
	Funding
	Youth Action Network received £100, 000 in 2004–05.
	Targets and progress
	Targets associated with this funding were:
	To promote and develop the youth action approach to volunteering and facilitate the promotion of volunteering to wider audiences of young people
	To provide policy level representation for local, regional and national youth volunteering—to Government, the voluntary and statutory sector and other bodies with a stake in the development of young people and participation
	To promote and disseminate good practice relating to youth volunteering and improve the quality of youth volunteering
	Youth Action Network has been very active in its awareness raising activities and has been involved in or led a number of initiatives to promote volunteering to a wider audience of young people. The organisation has been particularly active in increasing Youth Action Network's influence and representation within Government and statutory bodies and has developed a good practice library that can be accessed by partners via their website.
	National Lottery
	Funding
	Youth Action Network has received £282,901 from lottery funds.
	Targets and progress
	This funding is for the production of a research project on young people and social inclusion, defining what factors contribute to successful youth engagement.
	This project began in December 2004, it is therefore too early to assess progress.
	Department for Education and Skills
	Funding
	Youth Action Network has been funded under the National Voluntary Youth Organisation Grant scheme and between 2002–03 to 2004–05 received £139,427.
	Youth Action also received funding under the Transforming Youth Work Development fund, between 2002–03 to 2003–04 the organisation received £22, 240.
	Targets and progress
	Targets and outcomes for this funding are set on a yearly basis, specific details of each of these targets is unavailable without expending disproportionate effort.
	(i) Millennium Volunteers
	Funding
	Between 2000–01 and 2004–05 Millennium Volunteers has received £72.66 million. The Department for Education and Skills is Millennium Volunteers sole funder. This amount includes funding from DfES to CSV (£7.21 million) to deliver Millennium Volunteers projects. It also includes funding to the Institute of Volunteering Research (£170,000) to evaluate Millennium Volunteers.
	Targets and progress
	The published target for the programme was 100,000 young volunteers by December 2003. The target was achieved six months earlier than planned and it is expected that 200,000 young people will have volunteered under Millennium Volunteers by July 2005.
	(j) Corporate Challenge
	To date no public money has been spent on supporting the Corporate Challenge.

Volunteering

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to public funds of the Experience Corps has been to date; what targets were set for it in return for Government funding; and how it has performed against those targets.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 4 July 2005
	The Experience Corps (TEC) was established in 2001 and received approximately £20 million from the Home Office between 2001–02 and 2003–04 as part of a £300 million injection of funding into the voluntary sector under the Government's Active Community Initiative.
	TEC's key target was to recruit 250,000 new volunteers over the age of 50. As at December 2003 TEC reported that it had recruited over 153,000 volunteers although an evaluation earlier that year raised concerns about the organisation's recruitment figures.
	TEC currently has over 493,000 opportunities and 230,000 members, including 60,000 from ethnic minority communities. Its team of dedicated "animators" covers every region of England and has formed relationships with over 1,000 organisations across the country.

Wales (Better Governance)

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he intends to implement Paragraph 3.12 of the White Paper, "Better Governance for Wales" (Cm 6582), in respect of any bill he introduces in the current Session of Parliament.

Andy Burnham: The Home Office is in discussion with the Welsh Assembly Government on the issues relating to paragraph 3.12 of the White Paper "Better Governance for Wales".

Water Savings

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, at which non-office sites on the Department's estate he has identified opportunities for significant water savings.

Andy Burnham: Prisons and laboratories have been identified as the non-office sites on the Department's estate which have an opportunity for significant water savings. The Prison Service has set "good practice" and "typical" benchmarks for establishments with and without laundries. Based on these, water targets are set for each prison. 40 establishments currently exceed the "typical" benchmark and therefore offer opportunities for significant water savings. Performance is monitored and governors are required to report any increase in consumption greater than 2.5 per cent. on a 12 month moving average and establishments are asked for a report stating the reasons for the increase and what they have done to rectify the situation. Individual targets have been set for laboratories based on Watermark benchmarking data and they are required to monitor and report usage on an annual basis.

Abortions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate based on statistics for maternal deaths, admissions to hospitals following septic abortion, prosecutions for procuring illegal abortion and the number of illegal abortion cases known to the police in each year since 1975.

Caroline Flint: The number of prosecutions for procuring illegal abortion is shown in the table. The other information requested is not held centrally.
	
		Number of offenders proceeded against at all courts for "procuring illegal abortion"(171) in England and Wales—1975 to 2003
		
			  Proceeded against 
		
		
			 1975 1 
			 1976 3 
			 1977 5 
			 1978 3 
			 1979 1 
			 1980 3 
			 1981 — 
			 1982 — 
			 1983 1 
			 1984 3 
			 1985 2 
			 1986 1 
			 1987 2 
			 1988 6 
			 1989 5 
			 1990 1 
			 1991 2 
			 1992 1 
			 1993 2 
			 1994 7 
			 1995 2 
			 1996 2 
			 1997 3 
			 1998 4 
			 1999 1 
			 2000 1 
			 2001 1 
			 2002 3 
			 2003 3 
		
	
	(171) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	Source:
	RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform. Ref: IOS 273–05

Abortions

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed on patients (a) under 16 years, (b) 16 to 19 years and (c) aged 20 years and over in Wellingborough constituency in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The available information for abortions performed in England and Wales is contained in the annual Office for National Statistics (ONS) publication, "Abortion Statistics, series AB", and the Department of Health publications, "Statistical Bulletin 2003/23, Statistical Bulletin 2004/14 and Statistical Bulletin 2005/11". Data for 1991 onwards can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Statistics/StatisticalWorkAreas/StatisticalPublicHealth/fs/en
	Copies of these publications are available in the Library.

Acute Cerebral/Acute Coronary Events

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the incidence of (a) acute cerebral events and (b) acute coronary events has been in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what the average age of people suffering from (a) stroke and (b) coronary episode has been in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		All diagnosis count of episodes, mean and median age for selected diagnoses(172), national health service hospitals, England, 1997–98 to 2003–04
		
			  All diagnosis count of episodes Mean age 
			  Stroke Coronary Stroke Coronary 
		
		
			 1999–2000 161,062 499,841 73.7 69.5 
			 2000–01 162,293 537,780 73.9 69.8 
			 2001–02 167,952 552,586 74.0 70.2 
			 2002–03 179,427 597,607 74.1 70.6 
			 2003–04 178,020 608,023 74.2 71.0 
		
	
	(172) Selected diagnoses:
	(a) "Cerebral event" would probably fall under the categories listed here under "stroke".
	Stroke:
	I60.0 Subarachnoid haemorrhage from carotid siphon and bifurcation
	I60.1 Subarachnoid haemorrhage from middle cerebral artery
	I60.2 Subarachnoid haemorrhage from anterior communicating artery
	I60.3 Subarachnoid haemorrhage from posterior communicating artery
	I60.4 Subarachnoid haemorrhage from basilar artery
	I60.5 Subarachnoid haemorrhage from vertebral artery
	I60.6 Subarachnoid haemorrhage from other intracranial arteries
	I60.7 Subarachnoid haemorrhage from intracranial artery, unspecified
	I60.8 Other Subarachnoid haemorrhage
	I60.9 Subarachnoid haemorrhage, unspecified
	I61.0 Intracerebral haemorrhage in hemisphere, subcortical
	I61.1 Intracerebral haemorrhage in hemisphere, cortical
	I61.2 Intracerebral haemorrhage in hemisphere, unspecified
	I61.3 Intracerebral haemorrhage in brain stem
	I61.4 Intracerebral haemorrhage in cerebellum
	I61.5 Intracerebral haemorrhage, intraventricular
	I61.6 Intracerebral haemorrhage, multiple localized
	I61.8 Other intracerebral haemorrhage
	I61.9 Intracerebral haemorrhage, unspecified
	I62.0 Subdural haemorrhage (acute) (nontraumatic)
	I62.1 Nontraumatic extradural haemorrhage
	I62.9 Intracranial haemorrhage (nontraumatic), unspecified
	I63.0 Cerebral infarction due to thrombosis of precerebral arteries
	I63.1 Cerebral infarction due to embolism of precerebral arteries
	I63.2 Cerebral infarction due to unspecified occlusion or stenosis of precerebral arteries
	I63.3 Cerebral infarction due to thrombosis of cerebral arteries
	I63.4 Cerebral infarction due to embolism of cerebral arteries
	I63.5 Cerebral infarction due to unspecified occlusion or stenosis of cerebral arteries
	I63.6 Cerebral infarction due to cerebral venous thrombosis, nonpyogenic
	I63.8 Other cerebral infarction
	I63.9 Cerebral infarction, unspecified
	I64.X Stroke, not specified as haemorrhage or infarction
	(b) As "coronary event" could possibly refer to either myocardial infarction or angina, both have been included, and the codes for cardiac arrest have also been added.
	I20.0 Unstable angina
	I20.1 Angina pectoris with documented spasm
	I20.8 Other forms of angina pectoris
	I20.9 Angina pectoris, unspecified
	I21.0 Acute transmural myocardial infarction of anterior wall
	I21.1 Acute transmural myocardial infarction of inferior wall
	I21.2 Acute transmural myocardial infarction of other sites
	I21.3 Acute transmural myocardial infarction of unspecified site
	I21.4 Acute subendocardial myocardial infarction
	I21.9 Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified
	I22.0 Subsequent myocardial infarction of anterior wall
	I22.1 Subsequent myocardial infarction of inferior wall
	I22.8 Subsequent myocardial infarction of other sites
	I22.9 Subsequent myocardial infarction of unspecified site
	I46.0 Cardiac arrest with successful resuscitation
	I46.1 Sudden cardiac death, so described
	I46.9 Cardiac arrest, unspecified
	Notes:
	1. All diagnoses count of episodes—these figures represent a count of all finished consultant episodes (FCEs) where the diagnosis was mentioned in any of the 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in a hospital episode statistics (HES) record.
	2. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	3. As well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 13 (six prior to 2002–03) secondary diagnosis fields in HES that show other diagnoses relevant to the episode of care.
	4. A FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.
	5. Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data, except for 2003–04, which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
	Source:
	HES, Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Alcohol-related Conditions

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people under the age of 30 years in the area corresponding most closely to St. Albans (a) are subject to alcohol treatment orders, (b) being treated for alcohol-related illnesses and (c) have been convicted of alcohol-related offences in the last 12 months; and what the equivalent figures have been in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Information as to the number of people under the age of 30 years in the area corresponding most closely to St. Albans is not collected centrally.
	The number of people being treated for alcohol-related illnesses are only available by health authority. The table shows the number of finished hospital episodes, which is the only data available, for people under or over 18 in the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area, which includes residents of St. Albans, who have been treated for alcohol-related diseases. The figures for those convicted of alcohol-related offences is not held by the Department.
	
		Counts of finished admission episodes for selected alcohol related diseases1 by SHA of residence and age grouping—national health service hospitals, England 1996–97 to 2003–04
		
			  Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA 
			  Under 18 Over 18 
		
		
			 1996–97 139 526 
			 1997–98 159 677 
			 1998–99 148 712 
			 1999–2000 158 734 
			 2000–01 122 629 
			 2001–02 176 687 
			 2002–03 148 707 
			 2003–04 133 815 
		
	
	(173) Alcohol related diseases defined as following ICD-10 codes recorded in primary diagnosis
	F10—Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol.
	K70—Alcoholic liver disease.
	T51—Toxic effect of alcohol.
	Notes:
	1. "alcohol related" is not a clearly defined condition and that there may be some differences in codes used in different cases.
	2. The figures do not relate to the number of people diagnosed with specified conditions, but the number of admitted care episodes in NHS hospitals where the codes were the primary diagnosis.
	Source:
	Hospital episode statistics, Health and Social Care information Centre.

Ambulance Services

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the pay scales for ambulance crews;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on the wage structure for ambulance crews in (a) England and (b) Lancashire;
	(3)  what the recommended pay is for each type of ambulance personnel;
	(4)  how many pay structures are in place for ambulance crews in England.

Liam Byrne: All ambulance staff in the country are now covered by the new "Agenda for Change" pay system. "Agenda for Change" replaces existing Whitley Council arrangements for ambulance staff and is open to ambulance staff on local contracts who wish to transfer to the new terms and conditions. All national health service organisations are working to implement the new system by September 2005.
	Under the new system, pay is determined through application of the NHS job evaluation scheme, which is a structured method of comparing job weight in order to allocate jobs within the pay structure. It covers the diverse range of demands present in NHS posts such as the knowledge, responsibility, skills and effort required for the job, rather than their historic job title or occupational group.
	In order to assist the NHS with the job evaluation process, a number of common NHS jobs have been evaluated nationally and a process agreed by which local jobs can be matched to them where appropriate. These include a number of ambulance service jobs.
	It is anticipated that under the new pay system most front line ambulance staff will receive significant increases in take-home pay from the combination of the new pay bands and system of unsocial hours payments being introduced alongside them.
	A copy of the complete "Agenda for Change" terms and conditions of service handbook, which sets out the new pay structure and additional terms, is available in the Library.

Ambulance Services

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average response time to an emergency call to the Ambulance Service was in Sheffield, Hallam in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: This information is not collected centrally in the format requested. Data on response times for South Yorkshire Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust, which covers the Sheffield area, is shown in the tables.
	Further information can be found in the statistical bulletin, "Ambulance services, England: 2004–05", which is available in the Library and on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/36/041167.pdf.
	
		South Yorkshire
		
			  Percentage of category A calls responded to within eight minutes 
		
		
			 1997–98 (174)n/a 
			 1998–99 (174)n/a 
			 1999–2000 (174)n/a 
			 2000–01 58.8 
			 2001–02 77.2 
			 2002–03 75.3 
			 2003–04 71.8 
			 2004–05 72.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of category A calls responded to within 14 to 19 minutes 
		
		
			 1997–98 (174)n/a 
			 1998–99 (174)n/a 
			 1999–2000 (174)n/a 
			 2000–01 93.2 
			 2001–02 97.4 
			 2002–03 97.9 
			 2003–04 94.1 
			 2004–05 95.3 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of Category B and C calls responded to within 14 to 19 minutes 
		
		
			 1997–98 (174)n/a 
			 1998–99 (174)n/a 
			 1999–2000 (174)n/a 
			 2000–01 93.0 
			 2001–02 95.4 
			 2002–03 92.2 
			 2003–04 81.0 
			 2004–05 (175)88.3 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of urgent journeys with arrival time not more than 15 minutes late 
		
		
			 1997–98 93.8 
			 1998–99 81.7 
			 1999–2000 79.3 
			 2000–01 80.5 
			 2001–02 79.2 
			 2002–03 69.5 
			 2003–04 67.1 
			 2004–05 78.6 
		
	
	(174) Call prioritisation introduced April 2000.
	(175) Data for category B calls for the period October 2004 to March 2005.

Ambulance Services

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether ambulance trusts send 999 response times to her Department.

Liam Byrne: The statistical information submitted by ambulance trusts to the Department is set out in an annual statistical bulletin, "Ambulance services, England: 2004–05", which is available in the Library and on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/36/79/04113679.pdf. The information collected and published includes the number of 999 calls resulting in a response within eight minutes and the number resulting in a response within 14 minutes for urban services or 19 minutes for rural services.

Ambulance Services

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what her policy is on answering parliamentary questions on Lancashire Ambulance Trust;
	(2)  what information she collects on the performance of Lancashire Ambulance Trust.

Liam Byrne: The Department collects information about the Lancashire Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust and all other ambulance services on an annual basis via the KA34 return form. This information is published in an annual statistical bulletin, which is available in the Library and on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/36/79/04113679.pdf.
	The only change made since November 2003 to the data collected is that, from 1 October 2004, information about category B and C emergency calls is collected separately. Prior to this date, category B and C calls were grouped together.
	In general, responses to questions from hon. and right hon. Members will include information which has been formally collected and centrally validated by the Department. Some replies will on occasions include information which will not be centrally held by the Department, but has already been put in the public domain by the NHS organisation concerned. However, where questions request information which is not collected by the Department, the hon. or right hon. Member will be directed to the relevant organisation concerned where this information will be more readily available, in line with our policy of "Shifting the balance of power" to the local NHS.

Ambulance Services

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of manning levels of ambulance staff in Lancashire; what requirements there are for Lancashire Ambulance Trust to collect response time data; and at what level this should be collated;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on (a) response times and (b) staff morale in Lancashire Ambulance Trust.

Liam Byrne: This information is not available centrally and can be obtained from the Lancashire Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust. However, information about NHS ambulance services, including the Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, is collected on an annual basis and published in an annual statistical bulletin, "Ambulance Services, England: 2004–05". This is available in the Library and on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/36/79/04113679.pdf.

Aspartame

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations the Department received from the sweetener industry and how many meetings the Department held with representatives from the sweetener industry prior to the introduction of aspartame in England; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that aspartame has been approved for use in the United Kingdom since 1982 and harmonised conditions of use for the sweetener were adopted in all European Union member states in 1995. The Department does not hold records of any representations received from the sweetener industry, or meetings held with representatives of the sweetener industry, prior to the introduction of aspartame in the UK in 1982.

Blood Donors (Essex)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have given blood in Essex in each financial year since 2002–03.

Rosie Winterton: The numbers of blood donors in Essex are shown in the table.
	
		Essex—active donor-base and collections
		
			  Active donors(176) Collections 
		
		
			 2002–03 191,462 289,972 
			 2003–04 177,589 277,644 
			 2004–05 165,751 253,353 
		
	
	(176) At mid-year point.
	Source:
	National Blood Service, market research and analysis team.

Cancer Services

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resource funding will be made available by her Department in 2005–06 to support the running of new and replacement equipment to improve diagnosis and treatment of cancer, as referred to on page 53 of the Departmental Report 2005, paragraph 4.8.

Rosie Winterton: Revenue allocations totalling £148 billion were made to primary care trusts (PCTs) to cover the period 2003–04 to 2005–06. It is for PCTs to determine how to use the funding allocated to them to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local population.
	Of that total, £42 million was made available in 2004–05 and 2005–06 to support additional equipment. However, this funding was not separately identified or ring-fenced.

Child Health Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has published "You're Welcome", a resource to make NHS services easier to use for children, as stated in the document, Every child matters: change for children in health services, published on 15 December 2004; and when dissemination seminars on the resource will begin.

Liam Byrne: The Department has made significant progress with the "You're Welcome" standards. We are now in discussions with the Royal colleges about the standards and will be consulting more widely over summer and early autumn. We anticipate that the standards will be ready for publication by the end of the year. The training seminars will commence following publication.

Child Health Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultants in paediatric medicine there have been in each year since 1997, broken down by medical discipline.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Hospital, public health medicine and community health services (HCHS): consultants within all medical paediatric specialties -- England(177)Numbers (headcount)
		
			  Paediatric surgery Paediatric cardiology Paediatrics 
		
		
			 1997 74 16 1,211 
			 1998 86 17 1,282 
			 1999 98 18 1,337 
			 2000 104 23 1,420 
			 2001 114 29 1,478 
			 2002 105 64 1,631 
			 2003 100 69 1,738 
			 2004 108 63 1,839 
			 December 2004 105 65 1,862 
		
	
	(177) All data as at 30 September, except where stated for 31 December 2004.
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre medical and dental workforce census.

Childhood Cancer

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the Draper report on childhood cancer in relation to high voltage power lines; what steps she proposes to take in response to the report; what plans she has to commission further research into the subject; what discussions on the implications of the report she (a) has had and (b) plans to have with (i) ministerial colleagues, with particular reference to the Secretaries of State for Education and Skills and for Trade and Industry and the Deputy Prime Minister, (ii) relevant charities, (iii) patient groups, (iv) clinicians, (v) Ofgem, (vi) the National Grid and (vii) the electricity supply industry; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Health Protection Agency's (HPA) radiation protection division has a statutory responsibility to advise on health risks from exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). The HPA comprehensively reviewed the relevant science in 2004 and recommended not only the adoption of new guidelines on EMF exposure but also that the Government "consider the need for further precautionary measures" in relation to power frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields. The HPA provided a considered response to the recent publication by Dr Draper, placing it in the context of the current knowledge of such issues. It noted that the majority of raised magnetic fields are due to variations in the electricity supply and distribution system, the presence of substations and equipment in the home rather than proximity to power lines. The HPA's response is available on its web site at
	www.hpa.org.uk/hpa/news/articles/press releases/2005/050603 childhood cancer voltage.htm.
	The Draper study, which was funded directly by the Department, is also being considered by the stakeholder advisor/group ELF electromagnetic fields (SAGE), which was set up in response to the HPA advice published in 2004. SAGE has been constituted in order to make practical recommendations for precautionary measures in respect of EMF exposure—available at www.rkpartnership.co.uk/sage. Information about SAGE's membership can be found on the web site. It includes charities, clinicians, the electricity industry, market regulators, specialists and public concern groups as well as officials from Government Departments.
	In addition to funding its own research programme, the Department and the Health and Safety Executive support the World Health Organization's (WHO) electromagnetic fields project. The HPA undertakes EMF research and is a WHO collaborating institution. The WHO is due to review the health risks from power frequency fields later this year.

Commission for Social Care Inspection

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expenditure of the (a) National Care Standards Commission and (b) Commission for Social Care Inspection have been in each year of their operation; and what the estimated figures for (i) 2005–06 and (ii) 2006–07 are for the Commission for Social Care Inspection.

Liam Byrne: The National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) became fully operational on 1 April 2002 and the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) on 1 April 2004. The expenditure from April 2002 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Organisation Expenditure (£ million) 
		
		
			 2002–03 NCSC (178)119.4 
			 2003–04 NCSC (179)158.9 
			 2004–05 CSCI (180)157.8 
			 2005–06 CSCI (181)157.8 
			 2006–07 CSCI (182)— 
		
	
	(178) Including £9.9 million capital charge.
	(179) Including £14.5 million capital charge.
	(180) Including £11.3 million capital charge.
	(181) Including £10.0 million capital charge.
	(182) No estimate is currently available.

Commission for Social Care Inspection

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the full-time equivalent staff employed by the (a) National Care Standards Commission and (b) Commission for Social Care Inspection were in each year of their operation; and what the estimated figures are for (i) 2005–06 and (ii) 2006–07.

Liam Byrne: The National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) became fully operational on 1 April 2002 and the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) on 1 April 2004. The number of staff employed by these organisations is shown in the table.
	
		Staffing(183)
		
			  Organisation Number 
		
		
			 2002–03 NCSC 2,225 
			 2003–04 NCSC 2,586 
			 2004–05 CSCI 2,548 
			 2005–06 CSCI (184)2,634 
		
	
	(183) Average number of whole-time equivalents.
	(184) This is an estimate, based on the assumption that CSCI will recruit to full capacity.
	No estimate of staffing is currently available for 2006–07.

Dentistry

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population was registered with an NHS dentist in (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the percentage of the population registered with a national health service dentist in England and in Gloucestershire, where available, is shown in the table.
	The March data provided in the table for the years 1997–2005 is consistent with my response of 20 July 2005 to the hon. Member for Northavon (Steve Webb), Official Report, column 1897W, which also gave registration rates.
	
		Estimated percentages of total population who are registered with general dental service (GDS) or personal dental service (PDS) dentists as at September 1995 and 1996 and March 1997 to 2005 -- Percentages
		
			  1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 England 56 55 53 52 49 49 
			 of which:   
			
			 Gloucestershire Family Health Services Authority 47 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Gloucestershire Health Authority n/a 44 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 South Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust n/a n/a 59 59 55 55 
			 West Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust n/a n/a 36 34 31 31 
		
	
	
		Percentage
		
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 England 49 49 49 48 48 
			 of which:  
			   
			 Gloucestershire Family Health Services Authority n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Gloucestershire Health Authority n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 South Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust 52 53 53 56 57 
			 West Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust 30 30 29 25 25 
		
	
	n/a—not applicable
	Notes:
	1. Registration rates (i.e. the percentage of the population registered with a dentist) have been estimated by including registrations in the area of the dentist according to the postcode of the dental surgery (not the patient's address). So the registration rates for some areas may be affected by some patients receiving dental treatment in a different area from the one in which they live.
	2. The registration rates use population estimates for the primary care trust (PCT) areas for the nearest year for which data are available. Figures for 1997–2000 have been calculated from 2001 population data. Figures for 2004 and 2005 have been calculated from 2003 population data as this is the most up to date available.
	3. The number of registrations are based on a snapshot of the registration database taken at the end of March each year (September for 1995 and 1996) and subsequent retrospective notifications of changes to registrations have not been included.
	4. Some double counting may occur in the totals when a patient has been newly registered with a dentist in PCT A, but not yet de-registered from a dentist in PCT B.
	5. The changes in the registration period from two years to 15 months under the General Dental Services from 1 September 1996 affected the registration number from December 1997 onwards, so the 1997 figures are not comparable with later figures.
	6. Most PDS schemes that have registrations have a re-registration period in excess of fifteen months, so the figures for PDS scheme; are generally higher than they would have been for the same attendance pattern under GDS.
	7. Some PDS schemes do not have any registrations, e.g. dental access centres and their patients will not therefore be included in these figures.
	8. There are a small number of unallocated registrations.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board.

Dentistry

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the average income, after operating expenses, of dentists working only for the NHS in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002, (d) 2003 and (e) 2004.

Rosie Winterton: Information on private working of national health service dentists is not routinely available. The average annual payments between 2000–01 and 2003–04 to general dental service (GDS) dentists with a reasonable commitment to the GDS are shown in the table.
	
		Average annual GDS payments and estimated expenses for dentists with a reasonable GDS commitment(185), 2000–01 to 2003–04 -- £
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Gross income 129,100 133,900 140,000 150,000 
			 Expenses 69,900 73,400 76,700 83,300 
			 Net income 59,200 60,500 63,300 66,700 
		
	
	(185) Dentists with a reasonable commitment are defined as dentists earning at least £57,300 in fees for treatments and patient capitation in 2003–04, £55,600 in 2002–03, £53,700 in 2001–02 and £51,600 in 2000–01.
	Source:
	Department of Health analysis of Dental Practice Board payments and Inland Revenue data.
	The payment figures cover both fees for treatments and patient capitation as well as other payments such as seniority payments and commitment payments and payments for maternity and sickness.

Dentistry

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ratio of NHS dentists to population was in (a) Wellingborough constituency, (b) Northamptonshire and (c) England in the last year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Number of national health service dentists and rate per 10,000 population as at 31 March 2005
		
			   Number of dentists Ratio of dentists per 10,000 population 
		
		
			 Wellingborough constituency 39 (186)— 
			 Northamptonshire county 224 3.5 
			 Daventry and South Northamptonshire  primary care trust (POT) 22 2.1 
			 Northamptonshire Heartlands PCT 100 3.6 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and  Rutland strategic health authority 549 3.6 
			 England 20,088 4.0 
		
	
	(186) population data is not available at parliamentary constituency area.
	Notes:
	1. The figures are based on the numbers of dentists with open general dental service (GDS) or personal dental service (PDS) contracts.
	2. Dentists include principals, assistants and trainees.
	3. Prison contracts have been excluded.
	4. The figures provide a snapshot of the number of individual dentists with an open contract at 31 March 2005 and includes modifications up to 5 July 2005.
	5. The areas have been defined using practice postcodes within the specified area.
	6. Areas have been defined using the Office of National Statistics all fields postcode directory—November 2004.
	7. A dentist with a GDS or PDS contract may provide as little or as much NHS treatment as he or she chooses or has agreed with the PCT.
	8. The Dental Practice Board has no information concerning the amount of time dedicated to NHS work by individual dentists.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Dentistry

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS registered dentists there have been in the Essex Health Authority area in each year since 2001.

Rosie Winterton: The numbers of national health service dentists within the Essex Strategic Health Authority area as at 31 March of each year are shown in the table.
	
		NHS dentists
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2001 585 
			 2002 568 
			 2003 561 
			 2004 589 
			 2005 621 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures give the numbers of individual dentists with open general dental service (GDS) or personal dental service (PDS) contracts as at 31 March for each year. The dentists include principals, assistants and trainees.
	2. The postcode of the dental practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas.
	3. Parliamentary constituency areas have been defined using the Office for National Statistics all fields postcode directory—November 2004.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board.

Departmental Briefing

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will arrange a Tuesday morning briefing by Ministers and senior officials introducing the work of the Department to new hon. Members.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend, the Leader of the House (Mr. Hoon), on 18 July 2005, Official Report, column 1281W.

Disabled Children (Day Care)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received regarding the provision of day care for disabled children in East Sussex since 1997.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department's correspondence handling system currently only holds electronic records dating back to January 2003, in line with our records and retention schedule which has been agreed with the national archive. Since then the department has received and responded to 1,921 official correspondence cases relating to East Sussex, of which 21 referred to Special Educational Needs policy and/or disabled children and young people. Further information can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	The Department has consulted nationally on the recent Government 10 year childcare strategy "Choice for Parents", the best start for children which was launched in December 2004. The strategy gives local authorities a strong steer on the inclusion of disabled children to ensure that they plan and provide services that are accessible to all. The strategy guidance also requires them to consult the parents of disabled children and the voluntary sector when developing childcare services to ensure that provision fully meets local needs.

Doctors

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the impact of changes introduced under "Modernising Medical Careers" on the availability of doctors' training posts.

Liam Byrne: Under "Modernising Medical Careers", new foundation programmes will be introduced from August this year. There has been no impact on the number of foundation year 1, pre-registration house officer places available, which continue to rise as the number of medical graduates in the United Kingdom rises. We remain committed to providing enough training places to deliver the high quality services patients need and expect.

Doctors/Dentists (Remuneration)

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she has taken to address recommendation 2.65 in the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' remuneration, Cmd 6463, published in February, on the provision of additional funding for primary care trusts to meet increased costs arising from the impact on community hospitals of the new General Medical Services contract.

Liam Byrne: Earlier this year, the Department accepted recommendations made by the NHS Confederation in its report, "Pay and Terms and Conditions for Non-Consultant Career Grade Doctors and Doctors Working in Community Hospitals", that local commissioners should determine the most appropriate model for contracting for services in community hospitals, and should negotiate the level of remuneration locally. The action necessary to respond to the review body's recommendation will be decided once more information is available.

Drug Treatment Rehabilitation (Devon/Cornwall)

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time is for patients wanting to gain access to (a) residential and (b) in-patient specialist drug treatment in Devon and Cornwall.

Caroline Flint: Information on waiting times for drug rehabilitation places is published by the National Treatment Agency on a quarterly basis. In March 2005, the average waiting times for residential rehabilitation and in-patient treatment in Devon and Cornwall were as shown in the table.
	
		Weeks
		
			 Drug and alcohol action team (DAAT)  Waiting time for in-patient treatment Waiting time for residential rehabilitation 
		
		
			 Devon 3.4 (187)n/a 
			 Cornwall (188)n/a 2.5 
			 Torbay 16.5 3.0 
			 Plymouth 7.0 1.0 
		
	
	n/a = not available.
	(187) The report of not available for Devon residential rehabilitation is due to the fact that no placements were made in quarter four of 2004–05 with Devon DAAT.
	(188) In-patient treatment in Cornwall is reported as not available because there is no patient provision in Cornwall. All clients are referred out-of-county.

E111 Form

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding her Department has received under the E111 scheme since 1995, broken down by (a) year and (b) country.

Rosie Winterton: The table shows, in resource terms, the estimated costs of treatment provided by the national health service to persons insured in other european economic area (EEA) member states under the terms of Regulations (EEC) 1408/71 and 574/72, and which the United Kingdom has reclaimed from the states concerned. These are claims made under Article 93 of Regulation 574/72. This includes treatment provided to temporary visitors with form E111, which constitutes the majority of the costs shown.
	
		Estimated actual costs claims against other EEA member states -- £000(189)
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Austria 212 242 247 210 284 
			 Belgium 959 884 1,336 2,160 1,919 
			 Denmark (190)— (190)— (190)— (190)— (190)— 
			 Finland (190)— (190)— (190)— (190)— (190)— 
			 France 1,981 2,173 2,063 2,348 2,648 
			 Germany (190)— (190)— (190)— (190)— (190)— 
			 Greece 264 230 247 239 243 
			 Iceland 59 31 10 8 9 
			 Ireland 3,995 4,154 4,538 6,036 6,268 
			 Italy 403 814 794 2,674 933 
			 Liechtenstein 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Luxembourg (190)— (190)— (190)— (190)— (190)— 
			 Netherlands 471 542 694 600 647 
			 Norway 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Portugal 115 123 0 137 55 
			 Spain 979 922 880 1,013 998 
			 Sweden 676 928 602 615 530 
		
	
	(189) Claims against United Kingdom are made in national currency and converted into sterling by using the quarterly mean exchange rates published by the European Commission.
	(190) Waiver—means that the UK and the other member state concerned have each agreed to bear the costs of treatment of each other's insured people.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are based on latest available information and used for resource accounting and budgeting purpose.
	2. Figures are in thousands and rounded to the nearest thousand.

E111 Form

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding her Department has paid under the E111 scheme to overseas governments since 1995, broken down by year and country.

Rosie Winterton: The table shows, in resource terms, the estimated cost of treatment provided to United Kingdom residents by other european economic area (EEA) member states under the terms of Regulations (EEC) 1408/71 and 574/72. Actual treatment costs under Article 93 of Regulation 574/72 apply both to medically necessary care (E111) and to patients referred specifically for treatment (E112) as well as to some other categories of persons covered. Member states are not required to distinguish by specific E forms in making cost reimbursement claims, but the majority of the costs shown in the table relate to the E111 scheme.
	
		Estimated actual costs claims against the UK from EEA member states -- £000(191)
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Austria 1,117 1,173 1,104 983 1,119 
			 Belgium 809 819 1,141 1,821 1,621 
			 Denmark (192)— (192)— (192)— (192)— (192)— 
			 Finland (192)— (192)— (192)— (192)— (192)— 
			 France 12,856 9,995 10,972 12,120 15,581 
			 Germany (192)— (192)— (192)— (192)— 674 
			 Greece 81 128 159 75 63 
			 Iceland 23 56 73 35 41 
			 Ireland 4,988 5,672 5,822 5,441 3,357 
			 Italy 758 1,382 1,233 2,928 1,911 
			 Liechtenstein n/a 1 0 0 0 
			 Luxembourg (192)— (192)— (192)— (192)— (192)— 
			 Netherlands 1,020 1,461 1,626 1,629 1,637 
			 Norway 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Portugal 1 1 3 0 1 
			 Spain 4,424 5,343 5,524 5,709 7,478 
			 Sweden 401 265 332 427 643 
		
	
	(191) Claims against the UK are made in national currency and converted in to sterling by using the quarterly mean exchange rates published by the European Commission.
	(192) Waiver—means that the UK and the other member state concerned have each agreed to bear the costs of treatment each other's insured people.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are based on latest available information and used for resource accounting and budgeting purpose.
	2. Figures are in thousands and rounded to the nearest thousand.

End-of-life Issues

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her reply of 14 July 2005, Official Report, column 1188W, on end–of-life decision making, if she will list the stakeholders who have made representations to her Department on end-of-life issues during each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has received an estimated 870 letters and emails from the public and organisations over the last five years on end-of-life issues, expressing a wide range of views and opinions.

General Practitioners

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners there were in the Essex Health Authority area in (a) 2002–03, (b) 2003–04 and (c) 2004–05.

Rosie Winterton: The numbers of general practitioners in the Essex Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area for the years specified are shown in the table.
	
		General medical practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(193) for Essex SHA, 2002–04
		
			 Q03 Essex SHA Number (headcount) 
		
		
			  2002 803 
			  2003 866 
			  2004 915 
			  December 2004 932 
		
	
	(193) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) includes contracted GPs, general medical service (GMS) others and personal medical service (PMS) others. Prior to September 2004, this group included GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, GP registrars, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other, flexible career scheme GPs and GP returners.
	Note:
	Data as at 30 September 2002–04 and 31 December 2004.
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre GMS and PMS statistics.

General Practitioners

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent GPs are working in the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley Primary Care Trust area.

Caroline Flint: The number of full-time equivalent general practitioners working in the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley Primary Care Trust area is shown in the table.
	
		General medical practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(194) for Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley PCT, as at 31 December 2004 -- Estimated full time equivalents
		
			 PCT General medical practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(194) 
		
		
			 5CM Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley 110 
		
	
	(194) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) includes contracted GPs, general medical service (GMS) others and personal medical service (PMS) others.
	Notes:
	1. Full time equivalent (fte) data have been estimated using the results from the 1992–93 GMP work load survey.
	2. For 1994–2003, contracted GPs, full time = 1.00 fte; three quarter time = 0.69 fte; job share = 0.65 fte; half time = 0.60 fte. For other GP types, full time = 1.00 fte; part time = 0.6 fte.
	3. For 2004, all GPs, full time = 1.0 fte; part time = 0.6 fte and therefore may not be fully comparable with previous years.
	Source:
	National Health Service Health and Social Care Information Centre GMS and PMS statistics.

Head Injuries (Essex)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with head injuries resulting from (a) cycling, (b) skateboarding and (c) rollerblading accidents have been admitted to each hospital in Essex in the last year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The table shows the number of admitted care episodes for head injuries in Essex in 2003–04, which were as a result of cycling. The Department does not collect information on the numbers of admitted care episodes for head injuries resulting from skateboarding and rollerblading accidents.
	
		Counts of finished admission episodes. Primary diagnosis "Injuries to the Head" (ICD-10= SOO-S09 ) and cause code "Pedal Cyclist Injured in Transport Accident" (ICD-10= V10-V19). Strategic health authority of treatment—Essex. National health service hospitals, England 2003–04
		
			   Finished admission episodes 
		
		
			 RAJ Southend Hospital NHS Trust 9 
			 ROD Basildon and Thurrock University  Hospitals NHS Trust 18 
			 RDE Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust 13 
			 RQ8 Mid Essex Hospitals NHS Trust 21 
			 RQW The Princess Alexandra Hospital  NHS Trust 7 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	2. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the hospital episode statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	3. The cause code is a supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects.
	4. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data is ungrossed).
	Source:
	HES, Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Health Care

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of demand over the next five years for (a) in-patient and (b) respite and day care provision for palliative care; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts are responsible within the national health service for commissioning and funding services for their resident population, including palliative care, having taken account of local needs and priorities. The National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC), supported by the cancer action team and the Department, has published "Population-Based Needs Assessment for Palliative Care: A Manual for Cancer Networks". Networks can use the manual to assess the need for core component specialist palliative care services, including in-patient care, community care, day care and hospital support.
	The NCPC is presently revising the manual to cover patients with conditions other than cancer. This will enable commissioners to gain a greater appreciation of the palliative care needs of their resident population.

Health Foods

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definition under the proposed EU regulation on nutrition and health claims made on foods (2003/0165 COM) her Department will use in relation to (a) generally accepted scientific data and (b) the average consumer; whether those definitions have been agreed at EU level; whether any part of the negotiations has taken place without these definitions; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency intends to consult with the European Commission, member states and other interested parties on the interpretation of the terms "generally accepted scientific data" and "the average consumer" in the context of this proposal. There are currently no agreed definitions for these terms and a consistent approach is needed.
	The proposed Regulation gives a brief explanation of the concept of the average consumer. It points out that there is not a statistical test and national courts and authorities will have to exercise their own faculty of judgment, having regard to the case law of the European Court of Justice as necessary.

Health Trainers

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health trainers have been appointed; what training they receive; what the estimated annual cost of a health trainer is; what management structure will be developed to oversee health trainers; and if she will make a statement.

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, 
	(1)  what consultation was undertaken with (a) healthcare professionals, (b) commercial organisations and (c) patient organisations on the provision of health trainers prior to developing job descriptions for such trainers;
	(2)  what specific training will be given to trainers to enable them to develop the necessary skills for dealing with complex health issues and their underlying psychological factors; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Members to the written ministerial statement I made on 20 July 2005, Official Report, columns 92–94WS. A wide range of organisations, including those representing healthcare professionals, commercial organisations and patient organisations participated in the consultation for the White Paper, "Choosing Health", which announced the policy to introduce health trainers.

Healthy Eating

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what action the Government (a) are taking and (b) plans to take in each of the next five years to encourage people to increase their fruit and vegetable consumption;
	(2)  what action the Government (a) are taking and (b) plan to take in each of the next five years to increase awareness of the health benefits of fruit and vegetables in preventing cancer.

Caroline Flint: The Government encourages the increased consumption and awareness of the importance of eating more fruit and vegetables through a number of initiatives and programmes. These include the five-a-day programme, which combines a range of community, advertising and media initiatives, and the school fruit and vegetable scheme, which provides nearly two million children aged four to six with a free piece of fruit or vegetable every school day. In November 2005, we expect to start phase one of the healthy start scheme, which will also encourage fruit and vegetable consumption among pre-school age children.
	"Choosing a Better Diet: a food and health action plan", published on 9 March 2005, set out the Government's strategy to improve people's health through improved diet and nutrition. The strategy includes actions to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and awareness of the health benefits of eating more fruit and vegetables. A copy is available in the Library and on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/10/57/13/04105713.pdf.

Hepatitis B

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department will issue warnings about the possible risks of contracting hepatitis B associated with international travel.

Caroline Flint: Health advice for travellers abroad, including about hepatitis B, is provided on the Department's website at http://www.dh.gov.uk/Policy AndGuidance/HealthAdviceForTravellers/General HealthAdvice/Diseases/DiseasesArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ ID=4080299&chk=7pc2C2.
	We have also produced a booklet, "Health advice for travellers", which is available free of charge from post office outlets and provides advice about hepatitis B in the context of international travel. Further details about the booklet is available on the Department's website at http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/Health AdviceForTravellers/fs/en.
	In addition, the Department has funded the national travel health network and centre (NaTHNaC), which provides up to date advice for health professionals and travellers. This includes advice about hepatitis B, which is available from the NaTHNaC website at http://www.nathnac.org/travel/factsheets/hep_b_vaccine.htm.

Hepatitis C

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to improve the convenience and comfort of administration of treatment for hepatitis C.

Caroline Flint: In line with "Shifting the Balance of Power", most national health service funding is now passed on to NHS organisations so that they can make decisions about provision of local services.
	The configuration of services for providing treatment for hepatitis C, including any outreach services, is therefore a matter for local determination. Treatment usually consists of a weekly injection and daily tablets and many patients can be taught to self-inject.

Herbal Medicinal Products

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when Ministers of her Department next expect to meet representatives of herbal product manufacturers to discuss the costs associated with the implementation of the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the impact on business of the way that the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive is being interpreted and implemented.

Jane Kennedy: Our current assessment of the impact on business of the European Directive on Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products is set out in the updated partial regulatory impact assessment included with the public consultation document MLX 325. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has given the industry extensive help in preparing for the Directive, for example, via early website guidance, workshops, individual company meetings and dialogue with the herbal manufacturing industry's herbal forum. The MHRA has also advised the herbal forum on the possibilities for industry to make a reasoned case to the relevant European scientific committee, the Herbal Medicinal Products Committee, if it sees a need for further elaboration or adjustment of the European guidelines on herbal medicinal products.

Intensive Care Treatment

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses on average in (a) Southend, (b) Essex and (c) the Metropolitan police area of London, staffed an intensive care bed for (i) adults, (ii) children and (iii) new born or premature babies in the latest period for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

IVF Treatment

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2005, Official Report, columns 221–22W, on IVF treatment, which primary care trusts have not implemented the advice to offer a minimum of one cycle of IVF by April to those who meet the clinical criteria.

Caroline Flint: The Department does not collect information centrally on the number of "in vitro fertilisation" (IVF) treatments provided by each primary care trust. The primary responsibility for the implementation of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines rests with the national health service at local level and compliance with NICE guidance by NHS organisations will be considered by the Healthcare Commission during its review and assessment processes.

Kettering General Hospital (Cancelled Operations)

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled at Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust within (a) seven days and (b) 24 hours of the appointment time in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested. However, information relating to the number of cancellations either on, or after the day that the patient was due to be admitted is shown in the table.
	
		Cancelled operations for non-clinical reasons—Kettering General Hospital National Health Service Trust
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997–98(195) n/a 
			 2001–02 371 
			 2002–03 478 
			 2003–04 494 
			 2004–05 454 
		
	
	(195) Data was collected by health authority only prior to 2001–02. Trust level data was collected from 2001–02 onwards.
	Notes:
	1. A last minute cancellation is one that occurs on the day the patient was due to arrive, after they have arrived in hospital or on the day of their operation. For example, a patient is to be admitted to hospital on a Monday for an operation scheduled for the following day (Tuesday). If the hospital cancels his/her operation for non-clinical reasons on the Monday, then this would count as a last minute cancellation. This includes patients who have not actually arrived in hospital and have been telephoned at home prior to their arrival.
	2. An operation which is rescheduled to a time within 24 hours of the original scheduled operation should be recorded as a postponement and not as a cancellation. The QMCO collection does not record the number of postponements.
	3. Some common non-clinical reasons for cancellations by the hospital include: ward beds unavailable; surgeon unavailable; emergency case needing theatre; theatre list over-ran; equipment failure; admin error; anaesthetist unavailable; theatre staff unavailable; and critical care bed unavailable.
	Source:
	Department of Health dataset QMNG/QMCO.

Lancashire Health Expenditure

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much of total health service expenditure in Lancashire in each of the last 10 years was spent directly on (a) healthcare, (b) administration and (c) prescriptions;
	(2)  what the budget for Government funded healthcare was in Lancashire in each of the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	The figures are shown for the periods 1996–97 to 2003–04; the earliest and latest available. It is not possible to provide expenditure figures for the county of Lancashire as this does not correspond to any specific strategic health authority (SHA). They are taken from the audited summarisation schedules or accounts of the relevant primary care trusts (PCTs) and health authorities (HAs) within the current Cumbria and Lancashire SHA area.
	Data shown is "prescribing costs' which is the total cost relating to prescribing by general practitioners within the PCT area, from the unified budget.
	
		Expenditure by Cumbria and Lancashire SHA and by PCTs and HAs within the current Cumbria and Lancashire SHA area -- £000
		
			  1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 
		
		
			 Total expenditure 1,210,576 1,181,556 1,309,216 1,567,565 
			 Healthcare 1,184,587 1,157,113 1,238,595 1,433,482 
			 Administration 23,053 24,367 28,289 51,162 
			 Prescriptions 88,943 99,793 98,004 214,750 
		
	
	
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Total expenditure 1,717,872 1,961,985 2,337,249 2,421,861 
			 Healthcare 1,494,013 1,489,118 1,674,350 1,876,654 
			 Administration 38,492 66,582 n/a 122,268 
			 Prescriptions 231,275 254,314 284,882 309,631 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. 'Healthcare" is the total commissioning of primary and secondary healthcare accounted for by the HAs and PCTs.
	2. 'Administration" includes an analysis of the costs of administrative staff and certain managers in the relevant PCTs and HAs. Figures for 2002–03 are not available.
	3. 'Prescriptions' is the total cost relating to prescribing within the areas accounted for by the HAs and PCTs.
	4. Expenditure is taken from audited HA summarisation forms and PCT summarisation schedules, which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from cash allocations in the year. The figures have not been adjusted for inflation.
	5. Figures for 1996–97 to 2001–02 have been prepared using gross expenditure figures. Figures for 2002–03 and 2003–04 have been adjusted to eliminate expenditure which would be double counted where an authority acts as a lead in commissioning healthcare or other services.
	Sources:
	1. Audited accounts of HAs, 1996–97 to 1998–99.
	2. Audited summarisation forms of HAs, 1999–2000 to 2001–02.
	3. Audited summarisation schedules of PCTs, 2000–01 to 2003–04.
	4. Audited summarisation forms of Cumbria and Lancashire SHA, 2002–03 and 2003–04.

Lancashire Health Expenditure

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was spent on prescriptions by each primary care trust in Lancashire in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information is not available in the requested format. However, data for 2000–01 to 2003–04 are shown in the table. Primary care trusts (PCTs) were not in existence prior to 2000–01 and 2003–04 is the latest year for which figures are available.
	Figures are taken from the audited summarisation schedules (accounts) of the relevant PCTs. Relevant PCTs are taken as being those within the current Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area.
	Data shown is "prescribing costs", which is the total cost relating to prescribing by general practitioners within the PCT area, from the unified budget.
	
		Expenditure by PCTs in the Cumbria and Lancashire SHA area on prescribing costs -- £000
		
			 PCT 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Blackburn with Darwen  PCT 8,574 18,969 21,105 22,899 
			 Blackpool PCT n/a n/a 24,452 26,307 
			 Burnley, Pendle and  Rossendale PCT n/a n/a 36,504 39,754 
			 Carlisle and District PCT n/a 13,842 16,088 17,917 
			 Chorley and South Ribble  PCT n/a 24,169 27,925 30,675 
			 Eden Valley PCT n/a 8,049 9,400 10,277 
			 Fylde PCT n/a n/a 11,796 12,651 
			 Hyndburn and Ribble  Valley PCT n/a n/a 16,637 18,015 
			 Morecambe Bay PCT n/a 40,896 45,551 48,946 
			 Preston PCT n/a n/a 19,705 21,879 
			 West Cumbria PCT n/a 17,708 20,298 22,424 
			 West Lancashire PCT n/a 12,834 14,120 15,545 
			 Wyre PCT n/a n/a 21,301 22,342 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. 'Prescribing costs' is the total cost relating to prescribing by GPs within the area accounted for by the PCT.
	2. 'n/a' indicates that a PCT was not in existence in that year.
	Sources:
	Audited summarisation schedules of the above PCTs 2000–01 to 2003–04.

Lancashire Health Expenditure

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting list figures were for cancer care in Lancashire in each of the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		Number of patients with an urgent referral for suspected cancer received from general practitioner within 24 hours, by waiting time from referral to out-patients appointment, for hospitals in Cumbria and Lancashire strategic health authority (all cancers) -- Number waiting 14 days or less
		
			 Reporting period  RMR Blackpool Victoria hospital NHS trust RML Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde community health services NHS trust RXL Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre hospitals NHS trust REU Burnley healthcare NHS trust RMB Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley health care NHS trust RXR East Lancashire hospitals NHS trust 
		
		
			 2001–02 Q1 457 165 n/a 220 235 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q2 740 177 n/a 207 217 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q3 689 158 n/a 252 223 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q4 803 149 n/a 262 229 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q1 n/a n/a 1046 333 216 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q2 n/a n/a 1082 300 244 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q3 n/a n/a 1154 344 260 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q4 n/a n/a 1084 317 246 n/a 
			 2003–04 Q1 n/a n/a 1187 n/a n/a 587 
			 2003–04 Q2 n/a n/a 1267 n/a n/a 628 
			 2003–04 Q3 n/a n/a 1217 n/a n/a 688 
			 2003–04 Q4 n/a n/a 460 n/a n/a 672 
			 2004–05 Q1 n/a n/a 1158 n/a n/a 682 
			 2004–05 Q2 n/a n/a 1174 n/a n/a 690 
			 2004–05 Q3 n/a n/a 1173 n/a n/a 53 
			 2004–05 Q4 n/a n/a 1163 n/a n/a 677 
		
	
	
		Number waiting 14 days or less
		
			 Reporting period  RTX Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust RNL North Cumbria acute hospitals NHS trust RMF Preston acute hospitals NHS trust FDD Chorley and South Ribble NHS trust RXN Lancashire teaching hospitals NHS trust 
		
		
			 2001–02 Q1 465 467 204 336 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q2 487 492 231 325 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q3 533 594 252 428 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q4 517 511 291 406 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q1 599 674 312 435 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q2 657 734 n/a n/a 822 
			 2002–03 Q3 655 757 n/a n/a 822 
			 2002–03 Q4 635 722 n/a n/a 783 
			 2003–04 Q1 724 831 n/a n/a 843 
			 2003–04 Q2 738 946 n/a n/a 887 
			 2003–04 Q3 781 991 n/a n/a 990 
			 2003–04 Q4 773 1016 n/a n/a 987 
			 2004–05 Q1 855 866 n/a n/a 1092 
			 2004–05 Q2 882 988 n/a n/a 1034 
			 2004–05 Q3 942 1099 n/a n/a 1016 
			 2004–05 Q4 836 934 n/a n/a 916 
		
	
	
		Number of patients with an urgent referral for suspected cancer received from general practitioner within 24 hours, by waiting time from referral to out-patients appointment, for hospitals in Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic health authority (all cancers) -- Number waiting more than 14 days
		
			 Reporting period  RMR Blackpool Victoria hospital NHS trust RML Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde community health services NHS trust RXL Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre hospitals NHS trust REU Burnley healthcare NHS trust RMB Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley health care NHS trust RXR East Lancashire hospitals NHS trust 
		
		
			 2001–02 Q1 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q2 2 0 n/a 0 1 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q3 0 0 n/a 0 0 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q4 0 0 n/a 1 4 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q1 n/a n/a 0 5 3 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q2 n/a n/a 0 0 3 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q3 n/a n/a 1 1 5 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q4 n/a n/a 0 1 10 n/a 
			 2003–04 Q1 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 1 
			 2003–04 Q2 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 
			 2003–04 Q3 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 1 
			 2003–04 Q4 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 
			 2004–05 Q1 n/a n/a 1 n/a n/a 0 
			 2004–05 Q2 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 0 
			 2004–05 Q3 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 1 
			 2004–05 Q4 n/a n/a 0 n/a n/a 1 
		
	
	
		Number waiting more than 14 days
		
			 Reporting period  RTX Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust RNL North Cumbria acute hospitals NHS trust RMF Preston acute hospitals NHS trust FDD Chorley and South Ribble NHS trust RXN Lancashire teaching hospitals NHS trust 
		
		
			 2001–02 Q1 62 53 0 0 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q2 70 85 0 0 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q3 35 106 0 0 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q4 14 138 0 0 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q1 8 137 0 0 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q2 2 123 n/a n/a 0 
			 2002–03 Q3 0 112 n/a n/a 0 
			 2002–03 Q4 1 167 n/a n/a 0 
			 2003–04 Ql 0 178 n/a n/a 0 
			 2003–04 Q2 0 30 n/a n/a 0 
			 2003–04 Q3 0 2 n/a n/a 0 
			 2003–04 Q4 0 2 n/a n/a 0 
			 2004–05 Q1 0 0 n/a n/a 0 
			 2004–05 Q2 0 2 n/a n/a 0 
			 2004–05 Q3 1 2 n/a n/a 0 
			 2004–05 Q4 0 4 n/a n/a 0 
		
	
	
		Number of patients with an urgent referral for suspected cancer received from general practitioner within 24 hours, by waiting time from referral to out-patients appointment, for hospitals in Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic health authority (all cancers) -- Percentage
		
			   Percentage waiting 14 days or less 
			 Reporting period  RMR Blackpool Victoria hospital NHS trust RML Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde community health services NHS trust RXL Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre hospitals NHS trust REU Burnley healthcare NHS trust RMB Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley health care NHS trust RXR East Lancashire hospitals NHS trust 
		
		
			 2001–02 Q1 100 100 n/a 100 100 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q2 100 100 n/a 100 100 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q3 100 100 n/a 100 100 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q4 100 100 n/a 100 98 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q1 n/a n/a 100 99 99 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q2 n/a n/a 100 100 99 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q3 n/a n/a 100 100 98 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q4 n/a n/a 100 100 96 n/a 
			 2003–04 Q1 n/a n/a 100 n/a n/a 100 
			 2003–04 Q2 n/a n/a 100 n/a n/a 100 
			 2003–04 Q3 n/a n/a 100 n/a n/a 100 
			 2003–04 Q4 n/a n/a 100 n/a n/a 100 
			 2004–05 Q1 n/a n/a 100 n/a n/a 100 
			 2004–05 Q2 n/a n/a 100 n/a n/a 100 
			 2004–05 Q3 n/a n/a 100 n/a n/a 98 
			 2004–05 Q4 n/a n/a 100 n/a n/a 100 
		
	
	
		Percentage
		
			   Percentage waiting 14 days or less 
			 Reporting period  RTX Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust RNL North Cumbria acute hospitals NHS trust RMF Preston acute hospitals NHS trust FDD Chorley and South Ribble NHS trust RXN Lancashire teaching hospitals NHS trust 
		
		
			 2001–02 Q1 88 90 100 100 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q2 87 85 100 100 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q3 94 85 100 100 n/a 
			 2001–02 Q4 97 79 100 100 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q1 99 83 100 100 n/a 
			 2002–03 Q2 100 86 n/a n/a 100 
			 2002–03 Q3 100 87 n/a n/a 100 
			 2002–03 Q4 100 81 n/a n/a 100 
			 2003–04 Q1 100 82 n/a n/a 100 
			 2003–04 Q2 100 97 n/a n/a 100 
			 2003–04 Q3 100 100 n/a n/a 100 
			 2003–04 Q4 100 100 n/a n/a 100 
			 2004–05 Q1 100 100 n/a n/a 100 
			 2004–05 Q2 100 100 n/a n/a 100 
			 2004–05 Q3 100 100 n/a n/a 100 
			 2004–05 Q4 100 100 n/a n/a 100 
		
	
	Notes
	1. RXL Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre hospitals NHS trust formed 2002–03 by merger of RMR Blackpool Victoria hospital NHS Trust and RL Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde community health services NHS trust.
	2. RXR East Lancashire hospitals NHS trust formed 2003–04 by merger of REU Burnley healthcare NHS trust and RMB Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Health Care NHS trust.
	3. RXN Lancashire teaching hospitals NHS trust formed 2002–03 (effective 1 August 2002) by merger of RMF Preston acute hospitals NHS trust and RJU Chorley and South Ribble NHS trust.
	Source:
	CWT-Db, Department of Health

Management Consultants

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her Department's total spending on management consultants has been in each of the last three years.

Jane Kennedy: Expenditure by the Department on external consultants in each of the last three years, is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Financial year Expenditure (£ million) 
		
		
			 2002–03 7.266 
			 2003–04 10.031 
			 2004–05 12.8 
		
	
	It is not possible to disaggregate charges for management consultants from the overall cost of consultancy services.

Medical Students

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations she has received from educational institutions outside the UK wishing to offer courses for UK students to study medicine; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the merits of supporting UK medical students to train in universities outside the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Two overseas educational institutions, St. George's Medical school, Grenada and St. Michael's school of Medicine, St Helena, have made representations since 2003, together with an unrelated approach this year from an individual on behalf of an unnamed European university.
	The United Kingdom plans and funds the future numbers of its medical graduates very carefully. It is not our policy to meet planned numbers through the funding of places in institutions outside the UK. It is, of course, open to such institutions to offer places to UK citizens who might on graduation seek to work in the UK.

Mental Health

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health to how many individuals and organisations the report "Securing Better Mental Health for Older Adults" has been sent; and what resources have been allocated to publicising it.

Liam Byrne: "Securing Better Mental Health for Older Adults" is not available in hard copy. The report is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/ll/50/80/04115080.Ddf

Mental Health

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the findings of the "Count Me In" survey will be used to reduce ethnic inequality in mental health services; and how progress will be measured.

Rosie Winterton: The "Count Me In" census of all mental health inpatients was undertaken successfully on 31 March. It included questions on patients' ethnicity and faith, the sort of care they were receiving and how they had come into contact with mental health services. The results of this census are still being analysed. They will provide a clearer picture than has been available previously of the type and magnitude of inequalities in services for black and minority ethnic (BME) patients. The results will help us to identify priorities for our BME mental health programme aimed at reducing such inequalities.
	The Healthcare Commission will repeat and extend the census in 2006 and future years, allowing the 2005 data to serve as a baseline for measuring progress. A report on the 2005 census will be published this autumn.

MRSA

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the pilot for an enhanced surveillance system for MRSA (a) was commissioned and (b) commenced; and when she expects it will (i) conclude and (ii) be evaluated.

Jane Kennedy: Piloting of the enhanced surveillance system for meticillin resistant "Staphylococcus aureus" was commissioned in March 2005 and started in 21 acute national health service trusts in England on 1 May 2005.
	Although the pilot will conclude in September, the evaluation is on-going.

Myeloma

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been provided from her Department's research and development directorate for research into myeloma in each financial year since 1997–98.

Jane Kennedy: Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. The national health service spend from this funding in support of cancer research is shown in the following table.
	
		£ million
		
			  Amount(196) 
		
		
			 1997–98 n/a 
			 1998–99 63 
			 1999–2000 64 
			 2000–01 73 
			 2001–02 104 
			 2002–03 103 
			 2003–04 113 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	(196) Estimated expenditure from 1998–99 to 2000–01 and actual reported expenditure from 2001–02 onwards.
	Details of individual NHS projects, including those concerned with myeloma, can be found on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research. Project level expenditure data for the period in question are not held centrally.
	The NHS Plan announced that the Department would provide an additional £20 million a year to establish a national cancer research network. The national cancer research network established as a result is currently providing NHS support for two myeloma trials.
	The Department funds research to support policy and to provide the evidence needed to underpin quality improvement and service development in the NHS through its national research programmes. The health technology assessment programme has, since 1997–98, funded two projects on myeloma at a total cost of £131,000.
	Site-specific research expenditure figures understate the position to the extent that they exclude the research applicable to all cancers and the research that although classified as undertaken in one site has implications for another.

National Service Frame for Older People

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the national service framework for older people remains a 10-year programme; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The key themes and principles of the national service framework (NSF) for older people remain extant. It was always envisaged that such a significant and far-reaching programme of action would take 10 years to realise fully.
	The action milestone dates set out in the NSF have now been passed. In addition, new policy initiatives pertinent to the development of older people's service have been and are being developed. Further, since "Shifting the Balance of Power", local health and social care organisations now have greater flexibility in commissioning and providing services. In recognition of these changes since the launch of the NSF in 2001, Ian Philp, national director responsible for older people's services at the Department, will, in the autumn, present a "Next steps" document, suggesting how the significant momentum that has been generated since the launch of the NSF can be maintained.

National Service Framework for Long-term Neurological Conditions

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress has been made by the Long-term Conditions Care Group Workforce Team in identifying the workforce required to implement the National Service Framework for long-term neurological conditions; and what steps are being taken to (a) train and (b) recruit the necessary workforce;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number of consultant neurologists necessary to meet the requirements of the National Service Framework for long-term neurological conditions.

Liam Byrne: Between September 1997 and December 2004, the number of neurology consultants working in the national health service has increased by 175, or 63 per cent. Implementation of the national service framework will require additional specialist skills and the development of new roles. The skill-mix required in each locality is a matter for local determination and planning.
	The long term conditions care group workforce team, hosted by "Skills for Health", has identified a range of workforce issues and is working with the Department and other stakeholders to support local planning and develop solutions for local implementation.

New Medications (Safety Testing)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to end the requirement that new medications are safety tested on animals before they are given to humans.

Jane Kennedy: Regulatory and scientific requirements on the testing strategies for new medicinal products have been established at European and international levels. The "Note for Guidance on Non-clinical Safety Studies for the Conduct of human Clinical Trials for Pharmaceuticals (CPMP/ICH/286/95)" provides guidance as to what safety tests are required before a medicinal product enters the different stages of a clinical trial program. These safety tests in animals are needed to establish the safety and toxicological profile of a medicinal product before it is used in man. As a result of these tests, a large number of potential medicinal products never make it to use in man because their toxicological profile is unacceptable. These tests serve an essential role in the development of medicines. Therefore, we will not make it our policy to end the requirement for safety testing in animals.

NHS Consultants

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department gives to NHS trusts on the use of locum staff to fill temporarily vacant consultant posts; and what limits there are on the duration of such arrangements.

Liam Byrne: "The Good Practice Guidance on the NHS (Appointment of Consultants) Regulations" includes reference to locum appointments, emphasising the existing limits on the employment of locum consultants and affirming the role of the Royal Colleges in advising extensions of employment. The initial appointment should be for a period not exceeding six months and any extension for a maximum of six months subject to a satisfactory review by the trust and to consultation with the relevant college.

NHS Direct

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she expects the call capacity of NHS Direct to reach 16 million calls per year by 2006, as set out in the Department's strategy document Developing NHS Direct, published in April 2003.

Liam Byrne: The strategy document, "Developing NHS Direct", predicted that NHS Direct could be in the position to handle 16 million calls by December 2006. This was based on the assumption that NHS Direct might handle 100 per cent. of general practitioner out-of-hours calls by that stage. Primary care trusts now have the choice as to whether they commission NHS Direct to handle GP out-of-hours services or use local providers. On this basis, it is currently forecast that NHS Direct will be handling fewer calls in 2006.

NHS Staff Recruitment

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses have been recruited to work in Teesside since (i) 1997 and (ii) 2001.

Liam Byrne: Information is not collected centrally on the number of staff recruited.
	The following table shows the numbers of staff in post in September 1997, September 2001 and September 2004 for organisations in the Teesside area.
	
		Hospital, public health medicine and community health services (HCHS) staff, general medical practitioners (excluding retainers), nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff and GP practice nurses. All doctors and nurses by organisation. -- England—numbers (headcount)
		
			   1997 
			Of which:  Of which: 
			   All doctors HCHS doctors(197) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers)(198) Nurses Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff GP practice nurses 
		
		
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley 2,015 1,366 649 7,732 7,328 404 
			  Of which:   
			  Teesside — 900 — — 4,440 — 
			  Of which:   
			  Tees HA — — 312 — — — 
			 4FC32 Hartlepool PCG (199)— — — — — — 
			 4XA29 Langbaurgh PCG (199)— — — — — — 
			 4DD23 Middlesbrough and Eston PCG (199)— — — — — — 
			 4QP36 Stockton PCG (199)— — — — — — 
			 4EE45 Easington PCG — — — — — — 
			 4KQ91 Sedgefield PCG — — — — — — 
			 5D9 Hartlepool PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5E1 North Tees PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KD Easington PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KE Sedgefield PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KM Middlesbrough PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KN Langbaurgh PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RCA Northallerton Health Services NHS Trust (199)— 106 (199)— (199)— 502 (199)— 
			 RCH North Tees Health NHS Trust (199)— 166 (199)— (199)— 951 (199)— 
			 RCJ South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (199)— 420 (199)— (199)— 1,575 (199)— 
			 RE4 South Tees Community and Mental Health NHS Trust (199)— 82 (199)— (199)— 702 (199)— 
			 RRY Hartlepool and East Durham NHS Trust (199)— 126 (199)— (199)— 710 (199)— 
			 RTR South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RVW North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RVX Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
		
	
	
		England—numbers (headcount)
		
			   1998 
			Of which:  Of which: 
			   All doctors HCHS doctors(197) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers)(198) Nurses Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff GP practice nurses 
		
		
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley 2,062 1,412 650 8,050 7,592 458 
			  Of which:   
			  Teesside — 937 — — 4,729 — 
			  Of which:   
			  Tees HA — — 308 — — — 
			 4FC32 Hartlepool PCG — — — — — — 
			 4XA29 Langbaurgh PCG — — — — — — 
			 4DD23 Middlesbrough and Eston PCG — — — — — — 
			 4QP36 Stockton PCG — — — — — — 
			 4EE45 Easington PCG — — — — — — 
			 4KQ91 Sedgefield PCG — — — — — — 
			 5D9 Hartlepool PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5E1 North Tees PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KD Easington PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KE Sedgefield PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KM Middlesbrough PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KN Langbaurgh PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RCA Northallerton Health Services NHS Trust (199)— 110 (199)— (199)— 535 (199)— 
			 RCH North Tees Health NHS Trust (199)— 170 (199)— (199)— 1,014 (199)— 
			 RCJ South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (199)— 442 (199)— (199)— 1,599 (199)— 
			 RE4 South Tees Community and Mental Health NHS Trust (199)— 76 (199)— (199)— 830 (199)— 
			 RRY Hartlepool and East Durham NHS Trust (199)— 139 (199)— (199)— 751 (199)— 
			 RTR South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RVW North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RVX Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
		
	
	
		England—numbers (headcount)
		
			   1999 
			Of which:  Of which: 
			   All doctors HCHS doctors(197) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers)(198) Nurses Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff GP practice nurses 
		
		
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley 2,116 1,460 656 8,224 7,789 455 
			  Of which:   
			  Teesside — 965 — — 4,765 — 
			  Of which:   
			  Tees HA — — — — — — 
			 4FC32 Hartlepool PCG — — 48 — — — 
			 4XA29 Langbaurgh PCG — — 61 — — — 
			 4DD23 Middlesbrough and Eston PCG — — 105 — — — 
			 4QP36 Stockton PCG — — 98 — — — 
			 4EE45 Easington PCG — — 48 — — — 
			 4KQ91 Sedgefield PCG — — 55 — — — 
			 5D9 Hartlepool PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5E1 North Tees PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KD Easington PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KE Sedgefield PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KM Middlesbrough PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KN Langbaurgh PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RCA Northallerton Health Services NHS Trust (199)— 111 (199)— (199)— 553 (199)— 
			 RCH North Tees Health NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RCJ South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (199)— 459 (199)— (199)— 1,602 (199)— 
			 RE4 South Tees Community and Mental Health NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RRY Hartlepool and East Durham NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RTR South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RVW North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust (199)— 284 (199)— (199)— 1,497 (199)— 
			 RVX Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust (199)— 111 (199)— (199)— 1,113 (199)— 
		
	
	
		England—numbers (headcount)
		
			   2000 
			Of which:  Of which: 
			   All doctors HCHS doctors(197) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers)(198) Nurses Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff GP practice nurses 
		
		
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley 2,162 1,501 661 8,458 8,027 431 
			  Of which:   
			  Teesside — 975 — — 4,850 — 
			  Of which:   
			  Tees HA — — — — — — 
			 4FC32 Hartlepool PCG — — 48 — — — 
			 4XA29 Langbaurgh PCG — — 60 — — — 
			 4DD23 Middlesbrough and Eston PCG — — 109 — — — 
			 4QP36 Stockton PCG — — 97 — — — 
			 4EE45 Easington PCG — — 50 — — — 
			 4KQ91 Sedgefield PCG — — 53 — — — 
			 5D9 Hartlepool PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5E1 North Tees PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KD Easington PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KE Sedgefield PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KM Middlesbrough PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KN Langbaurgh PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RCA Northallerton Health Services NHS Trust (199)— 114 (199)— (199)— 579 (199)— 
			 RCH North Tees Health NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RCJ South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (199)— 453 (199)— (199)— 1,619 (199)— 
			 RE4 South Tees Community and Mental Health NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RRY Hartlepool and East Durham NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RTR South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RVW North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust (199)— 280 (199)— (199)— 1,525 (199)— 
			 RVX Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust (199)— 128 (199)— (199)— 1,127 (199)— 
		
	
	
		England—numbers (headcount)
		
			   2001 
			Of which:  Of which: 
			   All doctors HCHS doctors(197) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers)(198) Nurses Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff GP practice nurses 
		
		
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley 2,228 1,532 696 8,600 8,129 471 
			  Of which:   
			  Teesside — 1,026 — — 5,030 — 
			  Of which:   
			  Tees HA — — — — — — 
			 4FC32 Hartlepool PCG — — — — — — 
			 4XA29 Langbaurgh PCG — — — — — — 
			 4DD23 Middlesbrough and Eston PCG — — — — — — 
			 4QP36 Stockton PCG — — — — — — 
			 4EE45 Easington PCG — — — — — — 
			 4KQ91 Sedgefield PCG — — — — — — 
			 5D9 Hartlepool PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 82 (199)— 
			 5E1 North Tees PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 138 (199)— 
			 5KD Easington PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KE Sedgefield PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KM Middlesbrough PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 5KN Langbaurgh PCT (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RCA Northallerton Health Services NHS Trust (199)— 127 (199)— (199)— 604 (199)— 
			 RCH North Tees Health NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RCJ South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (199)— 479 (199)— (199)— 1,658 (199)— 
			 RE4 South Tees Community and Mental Health NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RRY Hartlepool and East Durham NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RTR South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust (199)— 0 (199)— (199)— 0 (199)— 
			 RVW North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust (199)— 282 (199)— (199)— 1,348 (199)— 
			 RVX Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust (199)— 138 (199)— (199)— 1,200 (199)— 
		
	
	
		England—numbers (headcount)
		
			   2002 
			Of which:  Of which: 
			   All doctors HCHS doctors(197) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers)(198) Nurses Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff GP practice nurses 
		
		
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley 2,252 1,551 701 8,647 8,141 506 
			  Of which:   
			  Teesside 1,474 1,028 446 5,492 5,154 338 
			  Of which:   
			  Tees HA — — — — — — 
			 4FC32 Hartlepool PCG — — — — — — 
			 4XA29 Langbaurgh PCG — — — — — — 
			 4DD23 Middlesbrough and Eston PCG — — — — — — 
			 4QP36 Stockton PCG — — — — — — 
			 4EE45 Easington PCG — — — — — — 
			 4KQ91 Sedgefield PCG — — — — — — 
			 5D9 Hartlepool PCT 52 0 52 143 99 44 
			 5E1 North Tees PCT 126 25 101 314 226 88 
			 5KD Easington PCT 54 0 54 153 108 45 
			 5KE Sedgefield PCT 59 0 59 149 113 36 
			 5KM Middlesbrough PCT 133 14 119 318 229 89 
			 5KN Langbaurgh PCT 62 1 61 220 184 36 
			 RCA Northallerton Health Services NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RCH North Tees Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RCJ South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RE4 South Tees Community and Mental Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RRY Hartlepool and East Durham NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RTR South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust 596 596 0 2,127 2,127 0 
			 RVW North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust 306 306 0 1,214 1,214 0 
			 RVX Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust 86 86 0 854 854 0 
		
	
	
		England—numbers (headcount)
		
			   2003 
			Of which:  Of which: 
			   All doctors HCHS doctors(197) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers)(198) Nurses Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff GP practice nurses 
		
		
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley 2,329 1,571 758 9,084 8,536 548 
			  Of which:   
			  Teesside 1,542 1,063 479 5,799 5,435 364 
			  Of which:   
			  Tees HA — — — — — — 
			 4FC32 Hartlepool PCG — — — — — — 
			 4XA29 Langbaurgh PCG — — — — — — 
			 4DD23 Middlesbrough and Eston PCG — — — — — — 
			 4QP36 Stockton PCG — — — — — — 
			 4EE45 Easington PCG — — — — — — 
			 4KQ91 Sedgefield PCG — — — — — — 
			 5D9 Hartlepool PCT 58 0 58 170 126 44 
			 5E1 North Tees PCT 141 24 117 307 204 103 
			 5KD Easington PCT 57 1 56 184 136 48 
			 5KE Sedgefield PCT 61 0 61 170 127 43 
			 5KM Middlesbrough PCT 136 14 122 335 252 83 
			 5KN Langbaurgh PCT 66 1 65 218 175 43 
			 RCA Northallerton Health Services NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RCH North Tees Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RCJ South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RE4 South Tees Community and Mental Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RRY Hartlepool and East Durham NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RTR South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust 624 624 0 2,296 2,296 0 
			 RVW North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust 318 318 0 1,237 1,237 0 
			 RVX Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust 81 81 0 882 882 0 
		
	
	
		England—numbers (headcount)
		
			   2004 
			Of which:  Of which: 
			   All doctors HCHS doctors(197) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers)(198) Nurses Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff GP practice nurses 
		
		
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley 2,523 1,731 792 9,280 8,727 553 
			  Of which:   
			  Teesside 1,636 1,146 490 5,950 5,573 377 
			  Of which:   
			  Tees HA — — — — — — 
			 4FC32 Hartlepool PCG — — — — — — 
			 4XA29 Langbaurgh PCG — — — — — — 
			 4DD23 Middlesbrough and Eston PCG — — — — — — 
			 4QP36 Stockton PCG — — — — — — 
			 4EE45 Easington PCG — — — — — — 
			 4KQ91 Sedgefield PCG — — — — — — 
			 5D9 Hartlepool PCT 55 0 55 180 133 47 
			 5E1 North Tees PCT 140 23 117 307 208 99 
			 5KD Easington PCT 56 0 56 216 166 50 
			 5KE Sedgefield PCT 70 0 70 177 137 40 
			 5KM Middlesbrough PCT 132 8 124 348 252 96 
			 5KN Langbaurgh PCT 68 0 68 236 191 45 
			 RCA Northallerton Health Services NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RCH North Tees Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RCJ South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RE4 South Tees Community and Mental Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RRY Hartlepool and East Durham NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RTR South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust 653 653 0 2,334 2,334 0 
			 RVW North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust 372 372 0 1,226 1,226 0 
			 RVX Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust 90 90 0 926 926 0 
		
	
	(197) Excludes hospital medical hospital practitioners and hospital medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals.
	(198) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers) includes contracted GPs, QMS others, PMS others and GP registrars. Prior to September 2004, this group included QMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs, GP registrars, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other, flexible career scheme GPs and GP returners.
	(199) Not available.
	Note:
	Data as at 30 September each year except GP and practice nurse data as at 1 October 1997–99.
	Sources:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medical Services Statistics
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre Medical and Dental Workforce Statistics
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census

NHS Trusts (Final Accounts)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cumulative breakeven position as reported in the final accounts of national health service trusts was in each of the last five years for each NHS organisation in London.

Jane Kennedy: The latest year for which audited data on the financial position of national health service organisations is available is 2003–04. The financial position for all NHS organisations in London for the last five years is shown in the table.
	
		Cumulative break-even position—NHS trusts in London 1999–2000 to 2003–04 -- £000
		
			 NHS trust name 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hosp NHS Trust 0 0 6 11 15 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust(200) -1,017 -8,449 -13,021 -15,166 -19,564 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey MH NHS Trust 0 0 4 -682 -1,606 
			 Barts and The London NHS Trust -11,329 -1,180 -1,142 -1,118 -1,075 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 1,098 3,113 3,731 4,238 4,238 
			 Camden and Islington Mental Health Social Care NHS Trust 0 0 41 70 1,953 
			 Central and North West London MH NHS Trust 5,249 5,284 5,299 5,306 5,322 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust -1,515 -1,230 -829 1,611 -269 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust -528 -481 -383 -566 -559 
			 East London and The City MH NHS Trust 0 67 118 166 203 
			 Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust -271 -271 -225 -2,418 -2,324 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust 1,162 1,195 1,205 2,327 2,328 
			 Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Trust 3,738 4,296 4,487 4,611 4,705 
			 Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust -919 -785 -666 -584 -565 
			 Homerton University Hospital NHS Trust 666 699 740 772 774 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Trust -1,450 -1,425 -1,249 -1,214 -1,032 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust -84 -75 -62 -27 -22 
			 London Ambulance Service NHS Trust -587 -486 -440 -346 -257 
			 Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust -162 -162 -158 -154 -317 
			 Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Trust 752 772 773 773 773 
			 Newham Healthcare NHS Trust -3,269 248 259 259 279 
			 North East London Mental Health NHS Trust 0 0 7 91 182 
			 North Middlesex University Hosp NHS Trust -6,471 -265 -265 -265 -1,254 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 1,243 1,264 1,281 1,297 -1,802 
			 Oxleas NHS Trust 810 815 817 854 865 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust -6,591 -8,174 -7,886 -673 244 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust -19 -14 9 -1,945 -1,904 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust 347 495 26 46 52 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust -8,205 -6,339 -1,123 -1,970 -2,931 
			 South London and Maudsley NHS Trust -439 -417 -417 -416 -378 
			 St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust -6,183 -6,183 -5,570 -1,290 -1,940 
			 St. Mary's NHS Trust -13,753 -852 -850 -848 -1,351 
			 SW London and St. George's Mental Health NHS Trust 103 178 202 275 287 
			 Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust 53 54 54 54 54 
			 The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust -400 -397 -375 -355 -1,318 
			 The Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust 839 842 846 851 859 
			 The Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Trust 1,174 1,951 2,000 2,068 2,104 
			 The Royal Nat Orthopaedic Hosp NHS Trust 13 24 24 24 24 
			 University College London Hosp NHS Trust -8,068 -8,065 -1,303 -1,256 8,138 
			 West London Mental Health NHS Trust 0 0 3 6 -1,363 
			 West Middlesex University NHS Trust -491 -313 -310 -1,089 -952 
			 Whipps Cross University Hosp NHS Trust 0 0 51 53 56 
			 Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 882 882 890 -98 -3,498 
		
	
	(200) In the case of Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust, auditors agreed an amendment to their 2003–04 final accounts, which meant that the trust was not in breach of its breakeven duty.
	Source:
	Audited summarisation accounts for 2003–04.

Northwick Park Hospital

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultants are contributing to maternity care in the labour wards at Northwick Park Hospital; and what the consultant to delivery ratio is at (a) Northwick Park Hospital and (b) other NHS hospitals handling over 4,000 deliveries a year, with particular reference to out-of-hours cover.

Jane Kennedy: Maternity care is provided by consultants who specialise in both obstetrics, which is the branch of medicine dealing with childbirth, and gynaecology, the branch of medicine dealing with women's health. Information on the amount of time a consultant contributes solely to maternity care in the labour wards at Northwick Park Hospital is not recorded centrally.
	However, the ratio of deliveries per consultant specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology at Northwick Park Hospital and other national health service hospitals handling over 4,000 deliveries a year is shown in the table.
	However, the statistics available are unable to make reference to out of hours cover.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): Consultants within the obstetrics and gynaecology specialty by trust with 4,000 or more registered deliveries(201) -- England at 31 December 2004Number (headcount) and ratio
		
			   Obstetrics and gynaecology consultants Amount of deliveries registered(201) Delivery to consultant ratio 
		
		
			 England  1,431 575,896 402 
			 Of which: 
			 Addenbrookes NHS Trust RGT 12 4,750 396 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust RF4 17 4,081 240 
			 Birmingham Heartlands and Solihull NHS Trust RR1 13 6,637 511 
			 Birmingham Women's Healthcare NHS Trust RLU 16 6,424 402 
			 Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust RMC 5 4,148 830 
			 Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust RAE 10 5,324 532 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust RXH 11 5,224 475 
			 Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust RW3 14 4,412 315 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust RQM 19 4,608 243 
			 East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust RWH 8 5,086 636 
			 East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust RVV 18 6,161 342 
			 Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust RVR 13 4,463 343 
			 Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust RTE 12 5,561 463 
			 Guys and St. Thomas's NHS Trust RJ1 20 5,717 286 
			 Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust RQN 23 5,243 228 
			 Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Trust RD7 7 4,409 630 
			 Homerton Hospital NHS Trust RQX 8 4,500 563 
			 Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust RWA 13 4,916 378 
			 King's Healthcare NHS Trust RJZ 15 4,132 275 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust RAX 8 4,791 599 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust RR8 22 8,193 372 
			 Liverpool Obstetrics and Gynaecology Services NHS Trust REP 25 6,456 258 
			 Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust RC9 8 4,296 537 
			 Mayday Health Care NHS Trust RJ6 7 4,253 608 
			 Medway NHS Trust RPA 8 4,207 526 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust RTD 20 4,809 240 
			 Newham Healthcare NHS Trust RNH 8 4,367 546 
			 Norfolk and Norwich Health Care NHS Trust RM1 9 4,830 537 
			 North Bristol NHS Trust RVJ 8 4,800 600 
			 North Staffordshire Hospital Centre NHS Trust RJE 11 5,001 455 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust RV8 16 4,743 296 
			 Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust RCS 9 5,592 621 
			 Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust RTH 23 6,013 261 
			 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust RW6 17 9,284 546 
			 Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust RK9 11 4,081 371 
			 Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust RHU 11 5,304 482 
			 Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust RHW 9 4,861 540 
			 Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust RHQ 22 6,180 281 
			 Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust RXW 9 4,064 452 
			 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust RHM 13 4,702 362 
			 Southern Derbyshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust RTG 13 4,399 338 
			 St Mary's Hospital NHS Trust RJ5 11 4,156 378 
			 The United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust RWD 12 4,937 411 
			 United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust RA7 16 4,660 291 
			 University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust RKB 12 4,065 339 
			 University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust RWE 24 5,264 219 
			 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust RWG 9 4,829 537 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust RGC 7 4,171 596 
			 Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust RWP 10 5,364 536 
		
	
	(201) Figures for deliveries registered are taken from the Department of Health maternity hospital episode statistics 2003–04 bulletin.
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre medical and dental workforce census.
	Department of Health Maternity hospital episode statistics.

Nursing

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many nursing vacancies there are in the Essex Health Authority area;
	(2)  how many nurses are employed in each of the hospitals located in Essex Health Authority.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Department of Health Vacancies Survey: Vacancies in Essex Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area for qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff, three month vacancy rates, numbers and staff in post
		
			   March 2004 September 2004 
			   Three month vacancy rate Staff in post 
			   Percentage Number Full-time equivalent Headcount 
		
		
			 Essex SHA Q03 3.3 230 7,168 8,926 
			   
			 Basildon and Thurrock General Hospitals National Health Service Trust ROD 2.1 16 863 1,138 
			 Basildon Primary Care Trust (PCT) 5GR 1.1 1 93 122 
			 Billericay, Brentwood and Wickford PCT 5GP 0.0 (203)— 97 118 
			 Castle Point and Rochford PCT 5JP 2.5 3 124 152 
			 Chelmsford PCT 5JN 6.3 6 81 108 
			 Colchester PCT 5GM 3.2 8 251 293 
			 Epping Forest PCT 5AJ 3.4 3 110 140 
			 Essex Ambulance Service NHS Trust RB4 0.0 (203)— 1 1 
			 Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust RDE 0.8 7 894 1,092 
			 Essex SHA Q03 (202)— (203)— 9 10 
			 Harlow PCT 5DC 8.6 8 91 115 
			 Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT 5GL 11.3 12 99 142 
			 Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust RQ8 0.0 (203)— 1,083 1,454 
			 North Essex Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust RRD 4.5 30 671 746 
			 Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust RQW 14.3 96 610 739 
			 South Essex Partnership NHS Trust RWN 3.8 19 550 641 
			 Southend Hospital NHS Trust RAJ 0.5 5 943 1,119 
			 Southend on Sea PCT 5AK 1.7 2 140 193 
			 Tendring PCT 5AH 4.4 7 146 196 
			 Thurrock PCT 5GQ 2.7 3 124 145 
			 Uttlesford PCT 5GN 6.0 4 61 83 
			 Witham Braintree and Halstead Care Trust TAG 0.0 (203)— 127 179 
		
	
	(202) Figures where sum of staff in post (as at 30 September 2004) and vacancies (as at 31 March 2005) is less than 10.
	(203) Zero.
	Three month vacancy notes:
	1. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March each year.
	2. Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (full–time equivalents).
	3. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.
	4. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	General notes:
	1. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	2. Calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
	3. Due to rounding, totals may not equal the sum of component parts.
	Sources:
	Health & Social Care Information Centre vacancies survey, March 2004.
	Health & Social Care Information Centre non-medical workforce census, September 2004.

Obesity

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice and assistance is made available to encourage general practitioners to take advantage through practice based commissioning of (a) slimming on referral and (b) other evidence based schemes.

Liam Byrne: No specific advice has been issued to general practitioners on referral issues in the context of practice based commissioning. However, practice based commissioning does provide the opportunity for GPs to take more responsibility for the commissioning of evidence based services for patients.
	In addition, the White Paper, "Choosing Health", made a commitment to assess the role the independent sector, including validated programmes such as slimming on referral, can play in providing effective behaviour change programmes.

Older People (Financial Support)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding will be provided for increasing the proportion of older people being supported to live in their own home by one per cent. annually in 2007 and 2008; and what form that support will take.

Liam Byrne: One of the Department's public service agreement targets states that, by March 2008, the number of people supported intensively to live independently at home, as a proportion of all those supported intensively at home or in residential care, should increase to 34 percent., increasing the proportion of older people being supported to live in their own home by one per cent, annually in 2007 and 2008.
	The Spending Review 2004 settlement, announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, will provide sufficient resources to meet this target. Spending on adult social services is set to rise from £10.7 billion in 2004 to £12.5 billion in 2007–08. It is for local authorities to decide how best to deploy their resources to meet their targets.

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will answer question reference 6661 tabled by the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam.

Liam Byrne: I refer to the hon. Member to the reply I gave on Wednesday 13 July 2005, Official Report, column 1143W.

PCT Funding

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer to question reference 4622, how much extra funding is allocated to each primary care trust for (a) age related needs, (b) additional needs and (c) unavoidable difference in the cost of providing services;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer to question reference 4622, what data sources are used to determine the extra weighting given for unavoidable difference in the cost of providing services.

Liam Byrne: The weighted capitation formula does not separately allocate extra funding to each primary care trust (PCT) for the age-related needs, additional needs and unavoidable costs adjustments.
	An explanation of the data sources used to determine the extra weighting given for unavoidable difference in the cost of providing services is given in the technical document titled, "Resource Allocation: Weighted Capitation Formula—Fifth Edition", which is available on the Department's website at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/Publications PolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance Article/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4112065&chk= MqnOJW.
	A list of the PCT indices for the age-related needs, additional needs and unavoidable costs adjustments is contained in the 2006–07 and 2007–08 PCT initial revenue resource limits exposition book, which is available on the Department's website at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/OrqanisationPolicy/FinanceAndPlanning/Allocations/AllocationsArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4104471&chk=kDkAyL.

Pharmacy Closures

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what criteria are used to assess the case for closure of a pharmacy on the grounds that the pharmacist is deemed no longer fit to practise;
	(2)  what grounds for appeal are available to a pharmacist suspended under the new legislation regarding fitness to practise.

Jane Kennedy: A pharmacy contractor can be removed from a national health service pharmaceutical list under section 49F of the National Health Service Act 1977 ("the 1977 Act") if he/she is unfit to practise on grounds of efficiency, fraud or suitability. Removal from the list prevents a contractor providing NHS pharmaceutical services. This does not automatically result in closure of the pharmacy, since the contractor is able to continue to trade privately. However, many pharmacies rely on their NHS business to be commercially viable.
	The criteria used to assess such cases are set out in the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/641 as amended) ("the Pharmaceutical Services Regulations"), at regulation 46. Decisions on removal from the list are the responsibility of the relevant primary care trust (PCT). Such decisions can be appealed under section 49M of the 1977 Act to the Family Health Services Appeal Authority (FHSAA), an independent tribunal established under Section 49S and Schedule 9A of the NHS Act 1977 as amended. Guidance for PCTs on these procedures is available on the Department's website.
	Where a PCT suspends a pharmacy contractor under section 49I of the 1977 Act, he/she is entitled to have the matter reviewed in accordance with section 49L of that Act.
	The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain may also remove a pharmacist from the professional register on grounds of misconduct or poor performance, for example, where the pharmacist has been convicted of criminal offences or for breaches of the Pharmacy Act, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 or the Medicines Act 1968. If removed, a pharmacist must cease to practise.

Policy Costings

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what costings of (a) Liberal Democrat and (b) Conservative party policies her Department has (i) undertaken, (ii) co-ordinated in the previous 12 months and (iii) advised upon in the previous 12 months.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to Her Majesty's Treasury's website at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about/information/foi_disclosures/foi_disclosures index.cfm.

Prostate Cancer

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to promote awareness of the symptoms of prostate cancer; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Thanks to the work of the prostate cancer advisory group (PCAG) we now have, for the first time, a definitive set of key messages for the general public about the prostate, including prostate cancer. This will give men the information they need to be aware of the prostate, but in such a way as to not cause unnecessary anxiety.
	A pilot communications programme using the key messages has been developed by the public awareness working group of PCAG and is expected to start in February 2006.
	For health professionals, in April 2000, we published referral guidelines for suspected cancer, to help general practitioners identify those patients who are most likely to have cancer and who therefore require urgent assessment by a specialist. The guidelines included a section on prostate cancer. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) reviewed this guidance and published an update version in June 2005.
	The prostate cancer risk management programme has produced a booklet, "The PSA test and prostate cancer: Information for primary care". This booklet provides GPs with an easy reference source on prostate cancer, from risk factors to treatment. The booklet was produced after consultation with GPs, primary care cancer leads and an expert advisory group.
	In September 2002, NICE published guidance on urological cancers, including prostate cancer. This guidance covers all aspects of cancer care for urological cancer patients and is aimed at helping all of those involved in planning, commissioning, organising and providing cancer services to ensure high quality services.
	We have also provided funding for the following organisations to increase public awareness of prostate cancer:
	In 2004, we provided £30,000 to the Men's Health Forum to help fund its publication, the "Men and Cancer" manual.
	We have provided £135,000 to the Prostate Cancer Charity to increase available information about prostate cancer.
	We are providing £105,000 to the Prostate Cancer Charity to improve awareness of the risks and symptoms of prostate cancer in African and Afro-Caribbean men in Britain.
	We are working with the voluntary sector to develop a national prostate cancer website and have provided £100,000 of funding. It is expected that the website will be launched in autumn 2005.

Psychiatrists

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultant psychiatrists there are per head of the population; and how many there were in 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Hospital, public health medicine and community health services: staff numbers and numbers per 100,000 population—England
		
			  30 September 1997 31 December 2004 
			  Numbers Per 1,000 population Numbers Per 1,000 population 
		
		
			 Psychiatry group 2,447 5.0 3,638 7.3 
			 of which: 
			 Child and adolescent  psychiatry 445 0.9 575 1.1 
			 Forensic psychiatry 123 0.3 233 0.5 
			 General psychiatry 1,365 2.8 1,994 4.0 
			 Learning disabilities 161 0.3 208 0.4 
			 Old age psychiatry 244 0.5 516 1.0 
			 Psychotherapy 109 0.2 112 0.2 
		
	
	Source:
	National Health Service Health and Social Care Information Centre medical and dental workforce census.

Rehabilitation Services

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to meet the challenges set out in the 58th World Health Assembly resolution on disability, including prevention, management and rehabilitation in relation to rehabilitation services for disabled people in England.

Liam Byrne: The resolution is in line with Government policy to ensure equal opportunities and improve life chances for disabled people.
	The Department is taking forward a number of initiatives to address the challenges of rehabilitation. Ongoing work on patient management and rehabilitation includes the recently published national service framework for long-term conditions. In addition, the Department is involved in work on prevention through the development of practical policies in the Public Health White Paper, "Choosing Health". In particular, the Department is currently undertaking a project to assess provision of rehabilitation services within the national health service and social care, what gaps exist and how services might be improved.
	We are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to take forward recommendations from the strategy unit report, "Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People", including setting up an office for disability issues.

Selective Serotonin Inhibitors

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the side effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on Monday 4 July 2005, Official Report, columns. 227–28W.

Sickness Absences

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days the Department has lost due to sickness in the past five years for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: The data on sickness within the Department is contained in the annual report, "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service", published by the Cabinet Office. Table A of the report gives details of both the average working days absence per staff year and the number of staff years on which that calculation is based. The most recent, for calendar year 2003, was announced by my right hon. Friend, the then Minister for the Cabinet Office (Ruth Kelly) in a written ministerial statement on 1 November 2004, Official Report, column 1WS. Copies were placed in the Libraries. Reports for 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 are available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_information/conditions_of_service/caje/publications/index.aspsickness
	We remain committed to managing sick absence effectively and to putting in place the recommendations of the recently published "Managing Sick Absence in the Public Sector".

Sickness Absences

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2005, Official Report, column 633W, on nurses, what information she holds on the causes of the pain that accounted for 40 per cent. of sickness absence in the national health service.

Liam Byrne: The Department does not hold information on the causes of the pain that accounted for 40 per cent. of sickness absence in the national health service. The figure is derived from information collected by and reported to the Health and Safety Executive.
	The "Back in Work" campaign is, however, informed by a number of partner organisations, including the Health and Safety Executive and staff representative bodies, which recognise that manual handling is a cause of sickness absence in the NHS. As part of the campaign, guidance is provided on risk assessments, mechanical aids and safer lifting and handling techniques through continuous staff training and monitoring.

Social Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the number of people with care needs who would wish to take-up (a) a direct payment and (b) individual budgets.

Liam Byrne: Individual budgets are one of the central proposals set out in Independence, Well-being and Choice, the Department's Adult Social Care Green Paper, published in March 2005. The Department has conducted an extensive consultation exercise on the ideas in the Green Paper and this will continue until 28 July 2005. Piloting individual budgets was also recommended in the Government's recent report, "Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People".
	Anecdotally preliminary findings suggest very strong support for the individual budget approach.

Social Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in developing appropriate data sets for the assessment of care needs and the measurement of care outcomes.

Liam Byrne: The Health and Social Care Information Centre is currently developing national standard datasets to support the monitoring of cancer, diabetes, child health, mental health, maternity, renal, older people's and coronary heart disease services. Each of the dataset products will support the information requirements of their respective national service frameworks, and are subject to the national approval mechanisms of the national health service.
	The following datasets have been approved by the Information Standards Board:
	National cancer dataset—a core dataset which contains generic patient and treatment information. Site-specific appendices for lung, colorectal, breast, head and neck, urological, gynaecological, upper gastro-intestinal tract, brain, sarcoma and skin cancers have been approved, in addition to the cancer registration dataset.
	Diabetes continuing care dataset—which brings together into one dataset the combined monitoring data requirements of the national diabetes audit, the diabetes chapter of the new general medical services quality and outcomes framework, the "DiabetesE" performance management tool and the diabetes indicators for the better metrics performance indicator project.
	Mental health minimum dataset—to support clinicians and managers through the provision of information about individual cases, including packages of care and outcome assessment.
	Coronary heart disease dataset—A core dataset for acute myocardial infarction for monitoring standards of care.
	Datasets under development or awaiting Information Standards Board approval are:
	Datasets to support older people's services—single assessment process, falls, continence, stroke, dementia and depression.
	Datasets to support other site-specific cancer services—haematological, surgical voice restoration, thyroid, primary care, children's cancer services and palliative care.
	Diabetes retinopathy screening, diabetes footcare and paediatric datasets.
	Maternity services dataset.
	Child health services dataset.
	Renal services dataset.

United Brain Tumour Campaign

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to provide support for the United Brain Tumour Campaign.

Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is developing an "Improving Outcomes" guidance for brain tumours. This guidance will recommend the optimal forms of treatment and care for patients with brain tumours in the national health service and is expected to be published in June 2006.
	The scope of the guidance covers the issues raised by the United Brain Tumour Campaign, such as the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment, the need for consistent, jargon-free information and the need for support for patients with brain tumours, their families and their carers.

Violence against Staff

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2005, Official Report, column 1385W, on violence against staff, what targets were set on reducing incidents of violence towards NHS staff prior to the Security Management Service research; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets.

Jane Kennedy: "Working Together: Securing a Quality Workforce for the NHS", published in 1999, required national health service trusts to set targets for reducing incidents of violence and aggression by 20 per cent. by 2001 and 30 per cent. by 2003. The targets were subsequently incorporated into the "Improving Working Lives" standard, launched in October 2000, which all acute, mental health and ambulance trusts were required to put into practice by April 2003. By March 2002, 20 per cent. of trusts had achieved the 20 per cent. reduction target.
	In April 2003, the NHS Security Management Service (SMS) was created and assumed policy and operational responsibility for the management of security in the NHS, including the problem of violence. In November 2003, the SMS introduced a comprehensive range of proactive and reactive measures to tackle violence against NHS staff. The SMS has begun a programme of work to identify the nature, scale and extent of violence against NHS staff. Following the introduction of this new programme, NHS trusts have not been required to report on the 30 per cent. target set under previous programmes.

Violence against Staff

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adverse incidents were recorded in the NHS in England by the National Reporting and Learning System in the latest year for which information is available; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) published its first analysis of reported patient safety incidents on 21 July 2005. Copies are available in the Library. "Building a memory: preventing harm, reducing risks and improving patient safety—The first report of the National Reporting and Learning System and the Patient Safety Observatory", shows that, up to 31 March 2005, 85,342 patient safety incidents were reported, affecting 86,142 patients. The majority of incidents, 68 per cent., resulted in no harm to patients.
	It is important that this information is set in the context of the overall delivery of health care. The vast majority of national health service care is safe and effective, with over a million patients successfully treated every day. However, we are working to create a culture where staff feel that they can report patient safety incidents, so that we can learn from these and respond accordingly.
	This issue is not unique to the NHS and these levels of mistakes are equally likely to occur in healthcare systems across the world. A key part of our European Union Presidency will be the driving forward of action to improve patient safety and care.

Waiting Times

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in the Essex Health Authority area have waited more than (a) three months, (b) six months, (c) nine months, (d) 12 months, (e) 15 months, (f) 18 months and (g) 24 months for (i) heart operations, (ii) cancer treatment and (iii) hip replacements in each year since 2001–02.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		Counts of finished in-year admission episodes, Main operative procedure heart operations (OPCS-4=K01-K71), Strategic health authority (SHA) of residence—Essex: National health service hospitals, England 2001–02 to 2003–04
		
			  Finished in-year admission episodes 
			 Waiting time grouping 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Up to 3 months 2,362 2,607 2,712 
			 More than 3 up to 6 months 788 1,371 1,333 
			 More than 6 up to 9 months 506 584 1,186 
			 More than 9 up to 12 months 384 461 360 
			 More than 12 up to 18 months 148 74 25 
			 More than 18 up to 24 months 5 8 6 
			 More than 24 months — 1 2 
			 Not known 54 139 117 
			 Total finished in-year admission  episodes 4,247 5,245 5,741 
		
	
	
		Counts of finished in-year admission episodes, Primary diagnosis—cancer (ICD-10=COO-D48), SHA of residence—Essex, NHS hospitals, England 2001–02 to 2003–04
		
			  Finished in-year admission episodes 
			 Waiting time grouping 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Up to 3 months 15,369 15,598 14,039 
			 More than 3 up to 6 months 1,741 2,044 1,347 
			 More than 6 up to 9 months 420 645 482 
			 More than 9 up to 12 months 250 367 267 
			 More than 12 up to 18 months 277 231 89 
			 More than 18 up to 24 months 38 22 15 
			 More than 24 months 19 12 8 
			 Not known 4,803 4,011 4,292 
			 Total finished in-year admission  episodes 22,917 22,930 20,539 
		
	
	
		Counts of finished in-year admission episodes. Main operative procedure—hip replacement (OPCS-4=W37-W39), SHA of residence—Essex, NHS hospitals, England 2001–02 to 2003–04
		
			  Finished in-year admission episodes 
			 Waiting time grouping 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Up to 3 months 266 243 284 
			 More than 3 up to 6 months 263 276 236 
			 More than 6 up to 9 months 200 270 329 
			 More than 9 up to 12 months 201 338 470 
			 More than 12 up to 18 months 331 310 145 
			 More than 18 up to 24 months 43 18 26 
			 More than 24 months 18 21 23 
			 Not known 6 26 6 
			 Total finished in-year admission  episodes 1,328 1,502 1,519 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the datayear. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	2. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the hospital episode statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	3. The main operation is the first recorded operation in the HES data set and is usually the most resource intensive procedure performed during the episode. It is appropriate to use main operation when looking at admission details, e.g. time waited, but the figures for "all operations count of episodes" give a more complete count of episodes with an operation.
	4. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data—(i.e. the data is un-grossed).
	5. Time waited statistics from HES are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period, whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment on a specific date and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the time waited as the difference between the admission and decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.
	Source:
	HES, Health and Social Care Information Centre.